Mission: Undercover
by FantasyFollower
Summary: Sucked into an elaborate scheme, Kel and Dom have no idea that Alanna and Raoul are matchmaking to the extreme. But what happens when their foolproof plan develops a dangerous flaw?
1. 1: Mission for Two

**Ok, so hi to everyone I guess. This is my first attempt at fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it. Please R&R so I can know if I should continue or quit while I'm ahead! Thanks!**

**I don't own the Protector of the Small series, all characters belong to Tamora Pierce, blah blah blah, you know the drill.**

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Chapter One

Mission for Two

Keladry of Mindelan stood silently in the dark corner of the ball room, her dreamy hazel eyes pinned to her best friend Nealan of Queenscove as he slowly twirled his new bride across the dance floor. A small smile crossed her lips at the thought of the two of them, now finally man and wife. She knew they were meant to be together, had been since the moment they met, and Kel was overjoyed that the two of them had found each other.

If only…

She shook her head as if to chase the thought away. No, there would be no if onlys, no wishing for things that would still come, something she simply had to wait for patiently. Yet…

Yet every day she spent near the two of them her heart ached, constantly and demandingly, like it wanted someone to love as well. Like it wanted someone to look at her, just as Neal looked at Yuki. Like Raoul looked at Buri.

"You're being silly." Kel muttered to herself as she forced her gaze down. She was a Lady Knight for goodness sake! The first official Lady Knight in over a hundred years. She had everything she had wanted out of life, and she had worked her behind off to get it. Why couldn't she be happy?

Kel sighed softly. She knew why, and she knew why it hurt so much. All her life she'd known she wasn't cut out to be the wife of some rich noble. Her sisters-in-law had often joked that she was build like a cow and would never find someone desperate enough to marry her. It was one of the reasons she wanted to become a knight so badly – not a big reason though. Kel knew she would have chosen to become a knight even if she had had suitors banging on her door since the age of five, she was simply too much of a protector of those in need to have become anything else.

Still, being a knight had changed everything. She knew her chances of getting married now were far less than they would've been had she simply gone to court at sixteen like her sisters. She wouldn't get any suitors now. Men saw her as a leader or a comrade. The only one who had seen her as anything else had been Cleon…

She shook her head again, this time with a little more vigour. No, thinking of him only made her sad and she was sad enough as it was.

Glancing at the happy couple one last time, she turned and quickly slipped out the room. She had no idea where she was going, only that she had to get out of there as quickly as humanly possible. She scarcely noticed where she was going until she suddenly reached the royal gardens.

"Darn," she muttered under her breath. She had run from the sight of love into a garden filled with couples having secret meetings. "Just great," she sat down at the nearest stone bench with a plop, regretting it instantly when she remembered the beautiful gown her ex-maid Lalassa had made for her especially for the wedding. She quickly stood up and carefully tucked the folds under her before getting seated again. Sighing loudly she closed her eyed, willing the emptiness to go away as she listened to the night.

"Here you are!" a voice suddenly said right next to her.

Kel jumped, her hand automatically reaching for her sword before she remembered she was wearing a dress. Her eyes flew up to meet the violet ones of the only other female knight in Tortall. "Alanna," she gasped getting up again. "I didn't hear you coming."

"I was quiet," Lady Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau beckoned for Kel to sit down before doing the same. "I passed a rather – uh – uncomfortable scene and would rather not repeat the experience. You never know what happens in these gardens." She fell silent for a moment, her eyes growing misty as she seemed to be sucked into past memories. It took only a moment for her to return to reality. "But that's not why I sought you out. First though I have to ask what your doing out here, Kel? Don't take this as an insult, but you don't seem like the kind of person who dallies in gardens."

A small smile spread across Kel's lips. "Actually, I believe that was a complement."

"Glad to hear. Now as for my first question…"

For a split second Kel considered telling the knight the true reason of her flight, but she knew Alanna would not understand. She was married and had her own children, she had a life and love to look forward to. She would never understand the loneliness that Kel felt.

"I needed some fresh air." Kel lied.

Alanna glances at her knowingly. "Alright, if you say so. I must apologize; I didn't come here to interrogate you. I actually came to ask a very large favour, or maybe I should rather call it a mission. It is for the kingdom so I should not feel the need to ask a personal favour."

Kel frowned, worried. "What's wrong Alanna?"

Alanna sighed. "As you know, the war with Scanra is far from over. They are still attacking even if that mage is gone and, unfortunately, it seems like they have found a replacement for him."

"What?"

"Don't panic Kel, this is all just rumours. We have no way to prove anything but our spied have detected strange happenings in a small town known as Darkwood near the Tortallen boarder. We have no way to prove this unless we are able to send in a spy but that will prove difficult. The only way we can get anyone in there was if we were to get people into the community. The only problem is that the job is going to be far too dangerous for mere spies to send in. We will have to send in someone who knows what they are doing and can defend themselves in an emergency. We found the perfect opening. The town is in great need of warriors and we intercepted a warrior and his wife on their way there. Luckily for us they wanted to life in Tortall much more than Scanra, which means we can send someone in their place."

Kel nodded, but was unable to hide her confusion. "I understand, but what's this got to do with me?"

Alanna took a deep breath. "Kel, we would like you to pass as the warrior's wife. You are strong enough to protect yourself in any situation and Roaul told us that you knew how to life of the land without any problems."

Kel thought about it for a moment. The crown wanted her to pose as the wife of a Scanran warrior to find out whether another mage was planning on killing their children for more killing devices. How could she refuse? She would never be able to tolerate the weak being picked!

"What about New Hope?" she asked quietly.

"Neal will take temporary charge while you're gone. Kel, if you're unwilling just say so. We can find ano…"

"I'll do it." Kel interrupted. This was her mission, her chance to do what she had trained all her life to do, her chance to take a break from Neal and Yuki constantly making love with their eyes… "But I have to ask, who will be helping me."

Alanna opened her mouth to reply but before she could two figures came striding forward. The first was the Knight Commander of the King's Own Roaul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, the second was none other than Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, who was also Neal's cousin and had been his best man at the wedding. Dom's handsome face was face pulled into a grin as his blue eyes fixed on Kel. Kel couldn't stop her heart from giving a pang of joy as it always did when she saw him.

At a nod from Alanna Roaul turned to Kel, his eyes glittering with mischief. "Kel, say hello to your new husband."

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**What do you think? Please remember to review!**


	2. 2: The Plan

**Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed my story! It means so much that you guys took the time to let me know what you though.**

**A special thanks to DreamerGirl1415 – it was great to see where my mistakes were and what I should work on. True constructive criticism is what any writer need! =D**

**And to Aria657 – Alanna and Raoul setting them up, mmm, what gives you that idea… ;) lol**

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****Chapter Two**

**The Plan**

Kel felt her eyes widen but managed to keep the shock off her features. It was her Yamani training alone that saved her from staring open-mouthed at her companions. Dom had the same charming smile on his lips that she had become accustomed to while serving as Raoul's squire, but the other two looked far from innocent. The glint in Raoul's eyes was enough of a hint for the young knight. Kel was sure he and Alanna had something up their sleeves and tried to see if the older woman's eyes betrayed her, but Alanna carefully kept her eyes glued to the stony path that led off into the vast gardens.

"I'm glad you accepted, Kel," Raoul said happily, "It would've made the mission so much harder had you refused." His tone was innocent enough but Kel caught on that there was more to his words than he let on. Apparently Alanna did too because her eyes whipped up from ground with lightning speed to pierce Raoul in a fierce glare. Raoul remained smiling.

"Roaul." Alanna muttered between clenched teeth.

"Alanna." He retorted calmly.

Kel would have thought it impossible but Alanna's eyes narrowed further. "Will you excuse us for a second." It was a request, not a question. Without waiting for an answer she lunged forward to grab Raoul by the arm and propelled the Knight Commander down the path.

Dom didn't seem to mind the abrupt scene. "Of course, take all the time-" The two knights disappeared behind a clump of bushes. "-you need." Dom's smile never wavered as he turned back to Kel. "She seems nice."

Kel failed to keep a small smile off her face. It was difficult being mad at her two friends when Dom was trying so hard to pretend that nothing had happened.

"She is. If you like her now, you should see her when she's truly in a bad mood."

Dom flinched. "I'm sure," he murmured. The Lioness was famous for the many great deeds she had achieved during her life time, but she would always be most known for her fiery temper. "Remind me not to provoke her into giving me a demonstration."

Kel lifted one eyebrow playfully. "I'm disappointed Sergeant Domitan. Here I was, thinking you were naught but a brave warrior in the King's Own, only to find out you fear a woman."

Dom laughed at her words. "I'm brave Kel, not stupid. Although," he glanced at the bushes, "at this moment it's difficult to say if being brave is not necessarily stupid as well."

Kel craned her neck to try to get a glimpse of the two, but her efforts were in vain. "He needs to learn to be more careful with what he says sometime. He's going to get into big trouble one day. I can't imagine how he's managed to get by without trouble thus far." She peered back to see what Dom though only to catch him staring at two young ladies who were giggling wildly as they passed by. "Hey," she nudged him in the side teasingly, "Watch it. You're a married man!"

Dom came to his senses in a rush. He turned to Kel once more, his face alight with the brilliant smile he normally reserved for the ladies he wished to charm. She had seen him do it many times when she was a squire, had seen him win the favour of females around him with such ease. She had sometimes secretly wished he would spare her such a smile, for him to look at her as if she was a beautiful lady of the court instead of the friend he normally saw her as. Now that she was getting her wish Kel felt almost intimidated by the result.

No, she felt heartbroken. Heartbroken to know that he only looked at her in this manner to comply with the charade they would have to portray. Heartbroken to know that that smile would never truly be hers.

She swallowed her sadness as he stepped forward and gently claimed one of her hands in his. "Of course dear wife, I was simply admiring the view." Kel's stared at him in disbelieve before she could hide her feelings behind her Yamani mask. "Of the flowers Kel!" he quickly added. He shook his head sadly. "You always assume the worst." The teasing tone was back.

"We wonder why." She muttered under her breath. Her eyes strayed to the hand still holding her.

"Tsk, tsk. Such mistrust Kel, you'll soon learn that I'm the best husband there is." He winked before lifting her hand. "But first let's admire that beautiful dress." Before she could even digest his words Dom raised her hand above her head and slowly twirled her in a small circle. She could almost feel his eyes carefully study the beautiful dress. Kel was suddenly extremely thankful that she had Lalassa to help make her look beautiful. She and the dressmaker were still unable to come to an agreement when it came to Kel's clothing. Kel felt it was only just to pay Lalassa what others would pay for the same service but the older girl refused. She felt Kel was the reason she had the dress shop in the first place and therefore wanted to make things for Kel in return. Kel had tried arguing but it was like trying to converse with a wall – there was simply no way she was going to get anywhere, no matter how hard she tried.

Naturally Lalassa had gone all-out for Neal's wedding and the dress had been half done before Kel had even gone to place an order.

"News spreads quickly in Corus," she had told an astounded Kel. The dress had been more than Kel could have even dreamed for. It was light green in colour to bring out the green in Kel's hazel eyes and was cut simple yet elegantly to suit Kel's personality. She would never be someone who chased the newest fashions as most of the ladies at court did, but she did enjoy wearing something beautiful when there was an appropriate time and place.

Kel breathed a mental sigh of relieve when she was facing Dom again – his inspection was making her a little uncomfortable – only to be spun around again, this time at a quicker pace.

"Dom!" Kel laughed as she attempted to block a third spin but Dom was quicker. The last turn was quick and graceful as if they were dancing. "What are you doing?" She was still laughing as he pulled her to a stop in front of him.

"I'm admiring my wife's dress as any good husband should." He said laughingly. His eyes met Kel's and sobered in an instant. Instead of joking they were now intense as their blue depths burned into Kel's hazel ones. "I'm serious Kel," his voice matched his words, "you look magnificent." Kel felt herself swallow, her palms becoming sweaty as her gaze remained captured by Dom's. Their surrounding suddenly seemed to vanish as by some miracle Dom was leaning forward towards her…

"Hey Yuki dear, I think I see them!" Neal's voice suddenly broke through the spell that seemed to have enveloped them and they wrenched apart as if their hands would spontaneously burst into flame. Neal came around the corner just as they managed to pretend they had stood that far apart the entire time. "Here you two are! I've been looking all over for you! It's time for your speech, Dom." He fixed an eye on him. "And remember you're not to call me Meathead."

"Of course not cousin," Dom was serious as he turned to leave, "I think we've established that it's 'Sir' Meathead." He left before Neal could retort.

"Someday," he muttered as he followed his cousin. Yuki's expression hid her feelings but Kel still noticed the glitter of humour in her eyes as she followed the men.

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"Are you sure this is a good idea Alanna?" Raoul asked quietly as soon as the two of them were out of earshot of Kel and Dom.

"Yes," Alanna snapped, "But it won't work if you blab our plan before it's even in place." She sighed. "Look Raoul, I know the plan's risky but think of what's to gain if we succeed. Kel hasn't been herself lately, she's lonely but you know Kel, she would never be able to admit that to anyone. As long as she's lonely she'll be distracted and a distracted knight is a dead knight."

"Of course, her safety is the first thing on your mind." Raoul's tone was sarcastic.

"It is. It must work Raoul, it just has to." Alanna suddenly smiled. "And Kel had no idea that Darkwood has pledged allegiance to Tortall."

Raoul chuckled. "Neither did Dom. Jon's kept that one of the country's biggest secrets. Remind me to congratulate him."

"You can congratulate him if he agrees to the plan. At least he can be assured the two of them will be safe. Kel is a knight after all and Dom should be able to take care of himself, why else would you have made him a sergeant?"

"He makes good tea."

Alanna ignored him. "We have to set this plan into action tonight. We'll have to talk to Jon as soon as possible – and by we I mean you." She shrugged off his surprised look. "He'll never fall for it if I mention it, but you might have better luck. Now, time to go tell those two to pack." She walked off, not even glancing back to see if Raoul was following. "Alright you two, problems sorted." Alanna marched around the corner only to find that Dom was nowhere to be found. She glanced at Kel in surprise to find the young knight smiling.

"It appears my groom has left me standing by the altar." Kel said innocently.

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**Ok, and I leave it there. For once I'm actually in a writing mood! Please let me know what you think! =D**


	3. 3: Packing

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed or even just read! =) Once more I'm grateful that you took the time to do so! **

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**Chapter Three**

**Packing**

"You did what?" King Jonathan of Conté's voice bounced of the walls as he looked at his old friend in a mixture of disbelief and anger. Raoul shifted uncomfortably. He was suddenly extremely glad he had requested a private audience with Jon. He had known there would be anger at Alanna's plan – that was what he had been careful to call it the whole explanation through. There was no need for Jon to know that they were equal partners. If Jonathan was going to explode Alanna would have to take the blame for this one.

"Now Jon, it sounds worse than it is." Raoul tried to explain but the King was having none of it.

"Worse than it is? Raoul, you two have gone behind my back to create some far fetched scheme so that you can put your matchmaking skills to test! Why couldn't you leave the situation as it was?"

Raoul felt like a small child being scolded by an angry parent. "She was miserable Jon, what else could we – I mean Alanna – do?"

"Let her fix her problems herself!"

Raoul felt a sudden burst of anger, something that happened as rarely as Alanna keeping her opinions to herself. "And what would that have helped? She needs a push in the right direction, just as I did, just as you yourself did Jonathan. She's the first true female knight and fixing the problem herself is not as easy as you might think it is. She's not Alanna, Jon. She'll rather suffer in silence than simply march whichever way she pleases." He paused for a second. "Don't tell Alanna I said that."

Jon sighed and closed his eyes, his finger slowly massaging his temple. "Why Sergeant Domitan?"

Raoul grinned. "Believe me, he's the right one. Or rather believe Alanna. She's the one that's made Kel her secret project. You should consider sending her off to battle; she appears to have too much free time on her hands."

Jon scowled further. "She's only been here for a week."

"As I said, far too much time." Raoul personally did't believe his own words. He was sure Alanna would've put her plan into action even had she only been here for one day. Kel was almost like a second daughter to Alanna, heck she was like his own daughter too. If this was a way to make her happy then he was going to make sure that they went through with it. "Please Jon, trust us on this one. There's nothing dangerous about the plan and Kel needs a break after what she did to that mage."

Jonathan sighed loudly, a sure sign that he was warming to the idea. "What about the fact that the sergeant's in the Own? You know that means that he's not allowed to be married?"

"Grant him a royal pardon." Raoul suggested. "Or I'll fire him for some truly absurd reason, either way Jon, please just give it a chance."

Jon rubbed his temple once more but Raoul could see that the battle had been won. "Very well, I can't see how it can hurt. Just remember I'm doing this as a favour to you and I expect you to return the favour sometime."

"More social events?"

Jon grinned. "More social events." Slowly Jon turned and made his way to the door. "I better get on with that royal pardon, Alanna hates being wrong. I can't see her taking the chance if she though her plan would fail." He left without seeing the smile of triumph on the Knight Commander's lips.

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Kel rotated from side to side in front of the large mirror, her mouth pulled into a tight scowl as she studied her garments. Gone was the beautiful gown that she had worn for the wedding replaced by a well worn simple coarse dress that most commoners in villages wore. She had no idea how but Alanna had managed to scrape together an entire wardrobe of clothing for her to wear during her mission. They were all well worn and made of rough material, exactly what was needed. That wasn't the problem. The problem was – Kel rotated once more – she simply didn't look like a commoner! She looked too much like a knight to suit the role! She was too muscled from her training and just looked too healthy!

Alanna didn't share her views. "We will just rub in some mud and it'll be fine. Leave your hair like that; it suits your alibi better."

Kel fingered her shoulder length hair. She had left it to grow the last while and had planned to chop it short after the wedding but Alanna was probably right. The longer hair would help her blend into the role she was going to portray. Still she could't see how she was going to fool anyone with her disguise.

With one last sceptical glance in the mirror she turned to see Alanna stuffing all her new garments into a cloth bag that was several sizes too small. "We should tie some rope around it to ensure it doesn't break," Alanna suggested as she sat on the bag in hope of fitting everything inside. Kel, who was standing on the opposite side of the room, could see the seams straining and agreed a hundred percent. With one last shove Alanna managed to secure the bag shut. "There we go." A load groan behind her signalled the first seam giving way. She pretended not to her it. "That's one less thing to worry about." She gave the bag a friendly pat and was rewarded by three more seams ripping.

The room was swallowed in silence as the two women watched the bag slowly give way to allow pieces of material to poke through.

"Finished?" Alanna snapped at the bag. Its answer was to give away entirely.

There was no way Kel could let this pass without laughing. After glaring at the offending article Alanna joined her.

That was how Dom found them, standing in the middle of the room laughing at a broken bag. He was still dressed in his wedding attire signalling that he had come straight from Neal and Yuki's party.

"I must be missing something," he commented staring at the bag in confusion. "Is that a new way of packing?"

Kel shook her head. "Alanna was over enthusiastic."

Dom wasn't comfortable enough around the Lioness yet to comment as he usually would. "Shall I find you another bag, dear wife?" he asked Kel instead.

"Don't bother," Alanna interrupted. "I have to find Raoul anyway. Stay here with Kel, I'll be back in a minute." She exited the room, closing the door behind her with a snap.

Dom shook his head as his gaze left the closed door to return to Kel. "If my Lord has any brains he would be hiding somewhere she will never find him."

"She'll find him." Kel assured his. "I am surprised she didn't drag him with to help with the packing."

Dom smirked. "Yes, it looks like you two needed the extra help." He studied Kel's dress suspiciously. "You know, I can swear that dress had been a beautiful gown a mere hour earlier."

"It changed back at midnight," Kel retorted easily. It felt strange how comfortable it felt bantering with Dom, even easier than it was with Neal. She felt no fear of offending him or saying something that would make him think less of her. They had known each other since Kel had been a squire and she had never felt angry at him, which she had to admit was a rare deed indeed. She had lost count how many times she had lost her temper with Neal, usually over silly deeds that she had forgotten by the following day, but not Dom. He was too easy going, too charming to stay mad at, and usually too smart to do something stupid. As much as Kel wanted to simply enjoy the moment, she had to stop and take account of what they had agreed to. "Dom," her voice was suddenly soft and unsure, "are we doing the right thing here?"

"With the mission?"

She nodded. "Yes. Are we sure that this is the smart option? That we'll be safe in enemy territory while on the hunt for a mage that can create machines that kill with no difficulty or remorse? What if we get hurt? What if we get caught? What if…"

"What if we succeed?" Dom interrupted her. "What if we find this mage and bring him down to ensure that no one else will ever be harmed by those machines again? We can do this Kel, there's no one like you and you have enough skill and enough heart to do this. You truly are the 'Protector of the Small'," Kel scowled at the name. She had never really liked the name and was not going to warm up to it anytime soon. She was Kel, plain simple Kel, and she didn't really want a name to make her a legend. She wasn't one. She had simply done what she had thought best and been lucky enough to survive. If only she could get others to see it like that as well. Dom looked down at her, his expression serious. "You may not be my true wife Kel, but this I can promise you, for the duration of the mission you are the most important person in my life. If anyone tries to get anywhere near you they'll have to get through me first, alright? You'll be safe, never fear that. And as for the getting caught part," he paused to take her hands in his and slowly pull her to him until she was settled in his arms. "We'll work on that. I think I can copy Neal's love sick expression. All I need to do is stare off into the distance with my mouth wide open and drool."

"And write really bad poetry." Kel added as she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She was unable to stop herself; it just seemed like the natural thing to do. She could feel Dom's chest vibrate as he chuckled.

"I got it. 'My dear flower bud, I love you as a cow does its cud, even when you are covered in mud, if you are gone my tears will cause a flood'."

Kel didn't even open her eyes but smiled at his words. "Yes, I think that'll do."

He sighed dramatically. "The things one does for your wife." He didn't sound too worried as he playfully twirled one strand of Kel's brown hair. "I like it this way; you should keep it a bit longer."

"I am. Alanna said it would help me look a bit more like someone's wife."

"Says the one who pretended to be a man for eight years," she heard him mutter. She ignored him and would have been content to stand there in his embrace for a few more peaceful minutes had she not heard two bickering voices coming down the hall. Instead she was forced to pull out of Dom's arms and open the door to reveal Alanna and Raoul. Alanna was holding two big cloth bags. She tossed one at Dom who caught it with ease.

"Everything's ready, we leave in the morning. Raoul will show you what to pack." She didn't even give Dom chance to reply, just marched into the room and practically shove him out the door. Before she could close the door Kel's dog Jump entered, his crooked tail wagging as he looked up at his mistress.

Kel's gaze went from the dog to Alanna, who was now shoving the cloths into the second bag with a vengeance, before returning to the dog once more. "You may have chosen the worst option," she warned him before going to help Alanna.

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**Hope you liked it! Please remember to review so I can know what you think!**

**Hopefully in the next chapter the mission will begin and the true charade will start!**


	4. 4: The Winters

**Alright, time for the mission to begin. Kel and Dom have no idea what they signed up for! =D**

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**Chapter 4**

**The Winters**

"Right, this is as far as we go!" Raoul pulled his horse to a halt in front of the tavern stables and motioned for the rest to do the same. Kel swallowed against the lump in her throat. After days in the saddle, and just as long of silent panicking, the time had come for her and Dom to leave the safety of their comrades and make their way into Scanra. Raoul had warned them that he would have to stop shy of the boarder to ensure that no one saw him with them. Even though he was a Totallan knight, the Knight Commander was widely known for the deeds he had accomplished. Being a giant killer was a rare position in any country.

She looked back at the small party that had travelled with them. Kel would've been happy to travel with Dom alone, she was after all a fully trained knight and had no fear of being attacked along the way, but Raoul would have none of it. He had insisted that it was of utmost importance that he accompanied them to the boarder and had smiled sweetly at the King and Alanna when they had left Corus.

"Any important evens happing soon?" she had asked him when they were out of earshot.

He had smiled happily as he had answered. "One of the Yamani princesses is coming to visit Princess Shinkokami. Naturally Thayet is planning a big ball in honour."

Kel had simply shaken her head. Raoul was infamous for dodging as many social events as he could get away with. It appeared that being married wouldn't change him in that aspect.

"You two ready?"

Dom easily slid off his own horse. "As ready as I'll ever be, my Lord," He, as Kel, was still dressed in their usual warm travelling gear that protected them from the cold winter. They would dress in commoner cloths when they set off from the tavern the following morning. Kel had been assured that they would reach the town by midday if they left early enough which would ensure they had more than enough time to settle in. Somehow Kel felt sure she would need more than a few hours to settle in to her new life. Being married was not something she was mentally prepared for – she sneaked a glance at Dom – especially not to someone she secretly liked.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of being married to the Lady Knight, Sergeant," Buri, Raoul's wife and commander of the Rider groups trotted forward on her stealthy pony. It had been she and one of her Rider groups that had escorted them from Corus. It appeared to Kel that Raoul didn't want his own warriors to know about Kel and Dom's mission. What was he hiding?

"Not of Kel my lady, but villagers with pitchforks and burning torches tend not to be featured on Midwinter cards."

Kel rolled her eyes and slid off Hoshi. She stroked the mare's smooth neck, sincerely regretting that she would have to return with Raoul the following day. She was a good horse, far too good for any peasant to afford. Instead they had been given two horses that had been intended for the rider groups. They were both sturdy and brave; too big to be called ponies but still rather small in Kel's opinion. Kel glanced back at them. They were both dark bay in colour and standing at the back of the pack. For now their coats gleamed, the next day they would be smeared with mud and twigs. That was all she could take for the mission, no warhorse, no weapons, no armour, just a mud covered horse, a cloth bag of commoner cloths and Dom.

"I'll be fine," she whispered to the mare, "You on the other hand have to keep an eye on Jump, Peachblossom, Neal and especially Tobe," The mare bobbed her head up and down as if in agreement.

"Careful dear," Dom warned as he led his horse past, "We don't want people seeing you speaking with animals and thinking you've lost the plot," He smiled sweetly. "You're already married to me; I don't think they need any more clues."

As he walked off she heard one of the women in the Rider group sigh. "Finally, a man that knows his wife could have done so much better than him!"

* * *

By the time dinner was served Kel was ready for the day to come. All she would have to do the following morning was get dressed in her 'new' cloths and give her armour and travelling cloths to Buri. Two of the Riders had been instructed to smear the horses and Raoul had claimed the honour of smearing his sergeant and former squire. By the time the sun was in the sky they would be heading off to the most dangerous mission she had ever faced. Kel was glad she hadn't chosen to be a spy as she felt her heart pound loudly. She would've been terrible! Had it not been for a calm Dom who was sitting next to her she would've considered throwing her food out the window before pacing the length of the room. Instead she sat there trying to force down food her stomach really didn't want. She knew that it was important to eat so that she had enough energy the following day but she simply couldn't do it. Her insides felt like they would spontaneously combust under the pressure her nerves created.

Raoul tapped his fingers steadily against the wooden table, showing his own nerves for the first time since he and Alanna had told them about the mission. "Are you two sure you remember everything?"

Kel mentally went through all the details once more. She was Sarah Winters, newly married to Robert Winter. She was twenty years old and until now had lived in the north of Scanra in a village by fief North Cliff. She had three older brothers and two younger sisters and was leaving her home for the first time in her life. She had met Dom – no Robert – when she had joined her father at the market place four months earlier. They had fallen in love instantly but because Robert was reasonably poor she had had to convince her father of the match. Now that she was married she was happily following her husband to where he could find a job.

"I think so," Kel looked down at her plate one more time before pushing it away.

"Good." Raoul spared her a worried glance before getting up from the table. "Well off to bed, we have a long day ahead of us."

Kel could't agree more as she slowly got up and made her way to her room.

* * *

There were no sparrows with her to wake her before the crack of dawn, but Kel was awake never the less. She was wide awake and alert the second her eyes opened, her nervousness returning with a grudge. There was no way she would be able to fall asleep again so instead she got up, her feet protesting walking on the cold floor, and started her morning practice with her glaive. She hoped that her training wouldn't be forgotten by the time her mission was done, but knew there would be no way she could practise there. Sarah didn't seem like the kind of person who happily swung a glaive around. Despite the cold she had managed to work up a sweat by the time Buri came to call her. The older woman looked just as nervous as Kel felt when she exited the room, she unfortunately did not possess Kel's ability of hiding her fears. Putting her glaive by her travelling cloths Kel mental left Keladry behind and tried to become Sarah as she put on a worn dress and a cloak. As she set off downstairs with her belongings Kel tried to picture who Sarah was suppose to be, but she simply couldn't picture it. When she saw herself in the mirror she only saw Kel dressed in unusual cloths. She felt unsure of the whole plan as she entered the dinning room and was focusing on all the ways things could go wrong when she accidentally walked into someone. She was caught by a young commoner, his cloths well worn and fading in places, him dark hair messy, his entire body covered in dirt and dust as if he had been travelling for several days.

"I'm sorry, I didn't look where I was go…" she paused as she stared up into laughing blue eyes. "Dom?"

Dom smiled down at her as he stepped back. It was clear Raoul had already gotten to him and, judging from the way she could see him grinned from across the room, had enjoyed every second of it.

"I'm afraid you are incorrect, my Lady," Dom said formally as his eyes danced with mischief, "I am Robert Winters, your humble servant." As she rolled her eyes at his folly he quickly dug something from his pocket. "Before I forget, Lady Alanna gave this to me before we left Corus. Her husband said they should be right." To Kel's surprise he pulled out two simple metal rings. She almost smacked herself on the forehead. How could she forget the most basic part of the charade? What would they have done if Alanna had not thought ahead for them? This was not going to work; surely they would blow their cover sooner or later! And then what?

While Kel was preoccupied with her thoughts Dom casually lifted her left hand and slid the metal onto her ring finger.

"Stop worrying Sarah dear," he told her playfully, "That frown will only give you wrinkles." With a wink he walked past, leaving her staring at the ring on her finger, the frown firmly in place.

* * *

An hour later they were ready to depart. Hoshi and Dom's horse had been hitched to one of the Rider's horses, their tack in place along with their weapons and travel gear. Kel had been given the same treatment as Dom, a feat she swore she would get Raoul back for, her and Dom's horses now looked like they had travelled for days in melting snow and their cloth bags had been secured onto the old tattered cloth saddles. Raoul had pulled Kel into a large hug and whispered "Be safe," before they had finally set off. Kel felt a sudden burst of sadness as she watched her friends ride away. The reality of it all was slowly setting in. Her life was taking a drastic turn and she couldn't help but think _be careful what you wish for_. She had felt lonely and, she had to admit it, a little jealous of Neal and the happiness he had found and in return she had received this. She sighed as she stole a glance at Dom. Alright, things weren't that bad. She was Mrs Winters for the few weeks. She could do that, she hoped.

They rode in a comfortable silence for some time, both preparing themselves for what was to come. When Dom got bored of his own thoughts he started questioning Kel about her childhood in the Yamani Islands. Kel was reluctant at first, she had never been one to tell long stories, but before she knew it she was in deep conversation about the many differences between the two countries. She had just started describing a _shukusen_, the metal fan carried by noble ladies when the feared they were in danger when Dom pointed ahead.

"Look,"

In the distance Kel could see the trees clearing to be replaced by a long stone wall that provided the village with cover. All that she could see of the village was the large wooden gates that kept unwanted visitors away, but that was all she needed to see. Her nervousness was suddenly replaced by a great sense of purpose. She was going to complete this mission successfully, no matter the cost.

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**And there are going to be loads of challenges! Please review and let me know what you think! =)**


	5. 5 The Grace of Marriage

**Especially for TheWackedOne! Now I can sleep safely without any fear of suffering the consequences. =) Thanks so much for your review and CrimsonDahlia too! You guys rock!**

**Okay, so I'm in the middle of huge exams (only a week left, yay!) so it's only when I get reviews that I rather update my stories. So, if you like it and want me to update quickly PLEASE REVIEW! Or threaten me like TheWackedOne, that works too. =P**

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**Chapter 5**

**The Grace of Marriage**

Throughout the journey Kel had carefully prepared herself for what the village would look like. She knew that Darkwood would be far different from her home fief Mindelan and had expected the village to look almost like Haven had when she had first taken charge. Scanra was, after all, in the middle of a war and Darkwood was situated right at the border. Surely it would be filled with people rushing about to ensure the safety of their country. As the guards noted their arrival and signalled for the gates to be opened she hoped that the village would not be too much of a wreck. She took a deep breath…

And had to clench her jaw shut to stop it from falling open as the gates swung open. This was no war camp! Instead of roughly build houses made to be put up with speed rather than accuracy there were strong huts made of thick wood and carefully erected to withstand any force except fire. They were also much larger than any of the houses they had build in New Hope. Houses made for leisure and ease. Not even one of them was comically falling sideways as Kel had seen some of the houses build by inexperienced convicts do.

Kel glanced sideways at Dom, but he too looked surprised at the extravagance of the village. As the gates closed behind them Kel felt strangely like they were shutting off the war behind them and welcoming the two visitors into its rich interior.

Kel suddenly knew why they needed warriors so badly. By the look of things they were refusing to partake in the war, meaning that even their country men might now be their enemy. Kel couldn't feel any sympathy. If there was a village like this in Tortall she would happily have been the one banging on the gates in fury and dragging the people outside and shove their faces in the harsh reality.

"The new arrivals are here!" A voice squeaked from nearby and suddenly a plump middle aged woman was rushing towards them. Kel's horse stepped back anxiously, his big brown eyes studying the woman who was charging at them with such speed. Kel was sure he was wondering just what exactly he had gotten himself into. Pondering the exact same question Kel dismounted.

The woman stopped right in front of the two of them, a large grin of delight spread across her face. She ignored Dom and instantly moved to Kel whom she seized in a friendly hug. Kel, who had never been hugged by a stranger before, stood shell-shocked as she was squeezed with surprising strength. "You must be the Winters!"

Kel took two deep breaths before forcing a smile. "Yes, I'm Sarah and this is my husband Robert."

Once again she brushed Dom off like he was merely there by chance. "I'm so pleased to meet you Sarah, I'm Grace Smith – my husband is the blacksmith here in town. I'm your neighbour! Isn't that exiting? I've been wondering when we'll have some young people living nearby again. They wanted to put old Cain and his cloths pin stealing wife in that house, but I refused! I told them Jeffrey and I needed some young people around to keep us young, not some old coot that'll have us in the grave before our time! Naturally Sally – that's the wife – threw a tantrum, said I just didn't want her living in the fancier houses but I knew if I let her near my house she'd come back for more things to steal. I know it was her even if she insists she knows nothing! Why else would she be hiding every time she sees me coming?"

Grace went on and on, speaking rapidly and loudly about topics and people Kel didn't even care about but every time Kel tried to open her mouth to reply Grace simply went on. She was stating an in dept discussion of her other neighbour's secret affair with the fish seller's wife when a rescue mission finally arrived.

"Grace!" The deep voice echoed across the ground. Kel's head shot up to see a large commoner make his way towards them. He was dressed like all other commoners in a worn out shirt and breeches but he didn't give off the same vibe as other did to Kel. He seemed to carry authority with him like a cloak and his light hair and beard was neatly trimmed, something Kel was unused to seeing. Oddly enough the man reminded her vaguely of her old training master Lord Wyldon. As the man came closer Kel could see that despite his cloths being well worn they were still neatly pressed. Something here was not right.

"You're on duty in the kitchens Grace," the man said when he was close enough for them to hear without him raising his voice.

Grace looked a little nervous but seemed unable to keep her mouth shut. "I came to greet the visitors Marcus, surely that is more important than doing the dishes?" Her tone was sour and Kel caught the hint that she thought herself too important for trivial tasks. Yet it was clear that she was afraid of the man in front of them. Kel spared the man another quick glance. His cloths were not the only odd thing about him. His eyes were ice cold as they bore into Grace's, his mouth pulled into a harsh frown. His expression showed no joy at the extra help that had arrived in the form of Dom; instead he just looked annoyed like he would rather have happily shoved the two of them out the gate. She was going to have to keep an eye on him, Kel realised.

"Sally will show our new residents to their home, Grace. You may therefore return to the kitchens without any worries." He stood there glaring at the talkative woman until she left, muttering angrily under her breath. He turned to leave before suddenly stopping dead in his tracks. "Perhaps you should come with me soldier. It would be easier to get to know the rest of the men now while your wife unpacks." He smiled. "If she's anything like my wife you'll simply be in the way." Kel could feel herself tense. Something about this man made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she knew without a doubt that there would never in her life be a time when she would feel like she could trust him.

"That's the most likely scenario, I'm afraid." Dom's tone was light and friendly but as he turned to Kel she could see that wasn't what he truly felt. It was only because she knew him so well that she could tell that his body was more ridged with tension and that the mischievous glint that was usually in his eyes was gone. He leaned down placed a soft lingering kiss on Kel's cheek. She thought at first that he was simply keeping with the charade but then she heard his soft whisper. "Be careful, Kel," His fake cheerful smile was back. "Enjoy unpacking dear!" _I'd rather be there with you than with them_. His eyes said the words before he turned around to join Marcus.

Kel watched them go, her mind in turmoil. Was this the man they that she had been warned about or was he just another pawn in evil's plan? Kel shook her head. Never mind Marcus, what was she going to do about the unpacking? She wasn't a wife! She didn't know the first thing about making a home liveable!

"Hello!" the voice behind Kel was so unexpected it made Kel jump. Behind her stood a young woman of roughly the same age, with long black hair and friendly brown eyes. She was at least a head shorter than Kel, which wasn't really that unusual since Kel was usually taller than most of the woman, and even some of the men, Kel knew. She knew she was lucky that Dom was so tall and therefore stood a few inches higher than her. She knew how strange it looked when the man was shorter as him wife – her parents were a living example after all.

"I'm Sally." The woman said as she took the reins of Dom's horse. "Marcus asked me to take you to your house. I don't mean to sound stupid but do you know which one that is?"

Kel was about to reply that she had absolutely no idea when she remembered Grace. "I'm afraid I don't know where it is but I know we're going to be Grace's new neighbours."

Sally's smile wavered slightly. "Oh, you're in Secret Villa, that's were Cain and I would have been if the neighbours were… different."

Kel mind remembered the words. "Oh, so you're Cain's cloth pin stealing wife!" The words were out before she could stop them.

Sally stared at her in shock eyes wide in surprise. Kel opened her mouth to apologise, appalled at her inability to keep quiet, when Sally suddenly burst out laughing.

"Yes, it appears I am." She confirmed as she wiped a tear out of her eye.

* * *

Dom had been unsure what to expect from the men he was going to have to work with, had feared that they would be a mirror image of Marcus who had simply led him to the barracks and left him to fend for himself, but his fears were all for nothing. They were a loud and friendly bunch, much as the men he had worked with in the Own. Dom didn't know how, but they all knew that he was Robert Winters and that he was a newlywed. Naturally that made him the target of various lewd comments. Dom didn't mind the attention; it was nice being treated as an equal instead of an outsider and besides, he knew he would do exactly the same had he been in their shoes. So he sat there with his new comrades laughing and joking, and carefully studying those around him. No one looked like a danger; they all looked too friendly to secretly be building killing machines. Instead Dom got to know his new neighbours. The sweet lovable over-talkative Grace's husband the blacksmith was there, a little shy and definitely not talkative. In fact, he never said a word the entire time Dom was there. The most interesting character by far was an old man named Cain, whose name Dom had to admit suited him extremely well. Every time someone said something rude or offensive, or mentioned his wife Sally, he instantly jumped up, raised his cane, and whacked them either on the head or in the stomach. Dom made sure he stayed as far away as he possibly could.

"Alright," Dom laughed as he saw that it was starting to get dark, "time to go. I don't want to keep the wife waiting after all. Maybe she needs some help with the unpacking."

"Don't help her for too long Robert!" one of the men called, "Dinner's in an hour!" Dom shook his head as he left, the room behind him ringing with laughter. The blacksmith, Greg Smith, followed him outside.

"I'll show you where your house is." It was the first words he had uttered that entire night. He was already a few steps ahead when Dom got over the surprise and had to jog to catch up.

"Thanks," he told the older man who simply nodded and kept going to silence. Dom knew better than to pressure him into talking so instead he kept his eyes on the road and the surrounding so that he wouldn't get lost on the way to dinner. He wondered what his wife was up to at the moment and couldn't help but smile. His wife, the mere words still made him wonder how all of this had happened in the first place. He was lucky, very lucky that Lord Raoul thought him good enough to keep Kel safe. His Kel. Or at least she was his for the duration of the mission. Dom sighed at the harsh reality. She would never really be his Kel. He could pretend that things with Kel would always be like this and enjoy the sensation of publicly stealing a kiss or two for now – and he knew he would – but when the mission was over it was back to the Own, back to life without the brave woman by his side. He had liked her since she had become Lord Raoul's squire – he was sure he would have liked her had he known her before that – and had admired her for her strength and her belief of always doing the right thing, but all that had changed when she had fled to Scanra to safe her people. When they had found her in the ruins of Giantkiller he had wanted to shake her for making them worry so much, he had wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless until she promised she would never leave his sight again. He had done neither. It was better that Kel didn't know about the new feeling Dom had for her, she had enough to worry about it as it was.

"Here we are," Dom blinked as Greg's voice roused him form his daydream. In front of him stood a house that, Dom noted with some horror, looked exactly like all the other houses in the area. The village was on a personal mission to confuse the living daylight out of him. Dom raised his hand in salute to Greg before slowly making his way into his new home.

The first thing Dom noticed was how fancy the house was. He and his men had helped Kel build many homes in Haven and none of them had ever looked like this. The front door led to a large room filled with furniture that had to serve as the house's lounge. This would be where he and Kel would spend their off time to relax or entertain guests. He heard giggling in the next room and found Kel and another young woman hanging curtains. The stranger was standing on the large bed on one side of the window and Kel was standing on a rickety stool on the other as the carefully put the curtains in place.

"Almost got it," Kel muttered. She took a small step forward and the stool rattled in protest. Without even thinking about what he was doing Dom strode forward and wrapped firm arms around Kel's waist. The curtain fell in place with a snap as Kel's head swung around in surprise. "D… dear!" she stopped herself just in time as her companion's head swung around. The young woman smiled at the two of them as Kel rested him hands on Dom's shoulders and he scooped her into his arms to deposit her on the floor.

Kel stood there for a second, her hands still resting on Dom's shoulders before she suddenly remembered that Sally was still there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Rob, this is Sally, Sally, this is my husband Robert."

Sally smiled slyly. "Oh, don't apologise Sarah, I remember what it was like to be a newlywed. It's hard keeping your hands off each other." She giggled as Dom playfully pulled Kel against him, his lips running down the side of her neck.

"You have wise friends dear," he said in a flirtatious tone. Kel could feel her face turning bright red. She knew Dom was playing the roll of loving newlywed husband and that she should be flirting back, but she wasn't ready, she needed more time, she needed…

Dom's lips found her jaw line. She needed to think! She was turning into a heap of melted mush right there in front of Sally! Luckily the other woman seemed to understand.

"I'll leave you two alone for now. See you at dinner Sarah!" With a wink she exited the room. Kel let out a sigh of relief and tried to move out of Dom's arms but he twisted her around to face him, before returning to tracing the lines of her face with his lips.

"Dom," it was difficult for Kel to find her voice when he was so intent on making her lose it, "she's gone."

"Window," Dom muttered before claiming her lips in a fierce kiss. Kel almost lost herself in the moment, the taste of Dom on her lips more potent than any drug, when she remembered that as far as she knew this particular crush was one-sided. Kel felt herself tense up. Was Dom taking advantage of her? She knew they had to work undercover but was that really necessary? She had just made up her mind to ask him when he whispered against her lips, "Are they gone?" Feeling foolish Kel realised the new position was giving her a clear view out the window. She saw two women giggling before moving away.

"I think so,"

"Good," Dom stepped back giving Kel some room. They stood in silence, both fully aware that their little scene would most likely have to happen again shortly in the future. Dom opened his mouth, probably to lighten the mood with a joke when they heard a voice calling.

"Sarah, you in here?" Grace appeared in the doorway. "Goodness, you haven't even finished unpacking! Luckily I'm here to help!" She cast a glare at Dom for distracting Kel before dragging her off to unpack. Dom discretely slipped from the room before they could ask him to help.

* * *

It was only an hour until dinner time but by the time that hour had passed Kel wanted to murder Grace. She had not kept silent for a single second nor had she actually been any help. Instead she had sat on the bed and ordered Kel around while she talked. When Dom called them for dinner Kel was so glad she could have kissed him – again. Grace left with great reluctance and a lot of encouragement from Dom.

"I don't think she likes me," he said happily as the two of them set off in the direction of the mess hall.

"That's suppose to make you sad not happy," Kel scolded him.

Dom leaned down until he was nose to nose with Kel. "I do believe you're jealous." Kel rolled her eyes and walked on fuming on the inside because she was jealous. Grace had instantly disliked Dom but seemed to love Kel like a long lost child. What made him so special? Dom easily caught up and wrapped an arm around her so that the two of them looked like a young couple in love strolling down the lane. Without realising she was doing it, Kel leaned her head on his shoulder. She was going to have to be careful or she was going to get too use to this.

They had nearly reached the mess hall when Kel spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A figure was slipping through the building dressed in pure black clothing. Kel didn't hesitate for one second. Taking hold of Dom's arm she set off in hot pursuit. The houses turned into storage building but Kel pushed on. She was right on the figure's tail, she could see him, she… couldn't see him. He had vanished right before her eyes. She and Dom noticed the no entry sign just as the hear voices nearby. Kel looked up at him in panic and saw the mischievous look return in his eyes.

"Well, this is an emergency."

He didn't even give her time to take in his words before he backed her into the nearest wall and proceeded to kiss her senseless. As the voices grew closer Kel accepted her role in this play. She knew what was expected of her this time and wasn't going to act like deer in the middle of a hunt. Kel wrapped her arms around Dom's shoulders, pulling him as close to her as she could before returning his kiss with as much passion as she could. The people who found them were going to find exactly what she wanted them to: a young couple desperately in love with each other and unable to keep their hands off each other. Kel was almost reluctant when the people appeared, she was enjoying Dom's kiss far too much.

"Eh hem," The voice behind them had them splitting apart instantly. "What are you two doing here?"

Dom was the first to catch his voice. He smiled at the guard sheepishly. "Sorry, we got lost,"

The guard's grin was large and filled with understanding. "Ah, I can see that. The mess hall's the other way. This part is off limits."

Dom nodded. "We're sorry; we were just a little…"

"Caught in the moment?" the guard added hopefully.

Dom smiled at Kel. "Yes."

The guard shrugged it off. "I understand. Young love and all. Just make sure you don't come here again." Dom nodded and the guard waved them off. Kel didn't have to pretend to be embarrassed when they fled the scene.

"That's twice Dom," she scolded him when they were out of ear shot. She didn't see Dom behind her, his smile matching the gleam in his eyes. That comment assured that he was going to try for three times.

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Behind them on the roof of the building they had just left, his black cloak camouflaging against the dark roof, George Cooper smiled. Alanna was going to be very happy with the news he had for her.

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**Mmm, this story is finally picking up, isn't it? Please remember to review!**


	6. 6: Dinner in Darkwood

**Firstly I have to say sorry for not realising that the anonymous reviews were off – talk about shooting yourself in the foot! So rest assure, it wasn't because I didn't want negative comments (I'm cool with criticism) or wanted you not to be lazy and log in (I'm a lazy person by nature too), but because I didn't see the 'disabled' part. So that's a 'whoops!' from my side.**

**Ok, I know this chapter is a little short, but I wanted to see if you guys like the direction I'm heading. Give me a heads up and I'll try the next chapter as soon as I can. Since I'm on a two month holiday I finally have time!**

**And to round it off, thanks to everyone who added Mission: Undercover as a story alert or favourite and especially to everyone who reviewed; ****TheWackedOne****, ****spazzysassyangel****, ****CrimsonDahlia****, ****Aria657****, ****Tbonechick2011****, somebody's sister and ****alykat23****. You guys are the best!**

**Oh, and I noticed a sentence in the previous chapter that was accidentally unfinished and came out sounding super awkward. Sorry bout that, I have already changed it!**

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**Chapter 6**

**Dinner in Darkwood**

By the time they finally made it to the mess hall dinner had already been served and they were officially late. No one really seemed to care though as they tried – and failed – to slip into the room undetected. As Kel reached for her plate she heard someone wolf whistle from across the room and she felt her cheeks turn crimson in response. She heaped food onto her plate with as much speed as she could muster so that she could rush to a spot a little less visible to the entire village. Dom, quickly catching onto her hurry, followed suit. Kel knew he wasn't as embarrassed as she was. She saw him smile as the men sent him knowing winks.

Unfortunately there were no free tables out of view, but the minute Kel sat down everyone's attention turned back to their food.

Kel let out a sigh of relief as Dom took his seat next to her. Dom however let out a soft groan. Eyes wide she followed the direction of his gaze and could have gladly echoed his opinion. Grace was rushing their way, practically pushing chairs – with people in them – out of her way to get to them, her hand clasped firmly around the wrist of a man, who Kel presumed was her husband, to drag him along. Her face was filled with determination and Kel knew they had an hour of complaint about their neighbours waiting ahead of them.

Dom scooted as close to Kel as he could. "Where's the Protector of the Small when you need her?" he whispered into her ear.

Kel raised one eyebrow before softly stating, "What makes you think she'll protect you _Robert_?"

"Oh, she'll protect me. We're close you know, practically married."

Kel had to smile at his answer and had to force herself to keep that smile in place as Grace helped herself to a seat opposite from Kel. Grace's husband, who Kel noticed wasn't even trying to smile, didn't ask for a seat either but to Kel's surprise slid in beside her and Dom. The table and the benches alongside it wasn't really that big which meant Kel had to virtually sit on Dom's lap so that all three of them could fit. Kel couldn't really blame the man. She wouldn't really want to sit next to Grace either.

Grace didn't even blink at the seating arrangements; she simply shot into her first tale. Kel tried to listen, she caught on that the story was about their neighbour to the right's cousin's sister-in-law's father and that it had something to do with him stealing from the temples using well trained monkeys but she was lost after that. As Grace chatted on Kel view wandered the space of the building. It was a large room, much larger that the mess hall in New Hope, with seating arrangements for the entire village plus another one half its size. The tables were made of thick wood and had been polished until they shone. The floors and walls were clean and durable and the food, Kel took another bite of chicken, was delicious. It felt like they were in a castle, not a village filled with peasants! What was going on?

Dom fiddled besides her. Kel sat so close to him that she had to crane her head to the side to see his face. Instead of looking bored like Kel had expected he looked amused at Grace's unusual tale. He winked at Kel when he saw her looking at him and playfully pulled her closer so that he could tuck her head between his shoulder and head. Kel didn't even try to squirm. Mush as she hated admitting it to herself, she was enjoying being a married woman. Why not enjoy it while it lasted?

"Can you imagine? A filthy wild hairy monkey leaping on top of you! It's horrible! I would have screamed too!" Grace seemed oblivious to the fact that no one was listening. Even her husband had found the story a waste of his time and was happily snoring next to Kel.

"I know what I'm getting you for your birthday, dear," Dom whispered.

"Just as long as it cooks and cleans too," Kel retorted.

"I'm not sure Neal can cook and clean," Dom's tone was sad.

Kel had to bite off her laugh. A laugh might have set Grace off. Grace was already banging on the table as it was. "And then she had the audacity to deny the rumour and call me a liar and a gossip! As if I would ever gossip!" She slammed her hands against the table once more, the loud bang finally waking up her husband. He let out a loud snort as he came awake and stared at the three at them in confusion. At the look of horror in Kel and Dom's eyes he must have realised it was time his wife left the mess hall before she was chased out of the village by people wielding torches and pitchforks.

"Come on Grace," stretching, he slowly got up, "It's time for bed. Say goodnight to your new friends."

Dom glanced over his shoulder in search of these friends and Kel elbowed him in the ribs as a reward.

"Goodnight Grace," Kel kept her tone light and friendly, smiling the whole way as Grace once more left their company with reluctance. Dom didn't even have to say goodbye, he simply scowled back as Grace gave him her usual 'bow to me worthless cur' look.

"I think she's growing on me." Dom stated innocently as she exited the door.

"Of course, I knew I saw a connection there." Kel finally realised the rest of the bench was free and that it was longer necessary to sit as if stuck to Dom. She tried to squirm out but Dom wrapped a strong arm around her waist to keep her in place.

"What's the rush dear?" His tone was playful once more. Kel was struggling to get use to this Dom, the Dom that used his charming smile and playful tone to get the court ladies to follow him like lovesick puppies. She had seen him use that tone countless times before but now that it was aimed in her direction she wasn't sure how to deal with it. And he wasn't going to give her time to figure it out either. He leaned closer, his nose inches from Kel's as he cheekily grinned at her. "Don't tell me I make you uncomfortable?" He was playing with her, Kel knew that, yet she couldn't stop herself from wishing that he meant it, that this were real and not simply for the sake of their country.

"What gives you that idea?" Kel _was_ uncomfortable and her inability to keep that out of her voice was making it extremely easy for Dom to see it too. His blue eyes were shining with their usual mischief and his arm tightened around her waist as he leaned even closer.

"I don't know, maybe this." Kel had thought he would behave himself in a room full of people, that Dom knew the charade had been stretched a little far that day already, but Dom seemed to have an agenda of his own and for the third time that day he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. The two previous times had been complete unexpected and had been meant to show people that she and Dom were as in love as two people could be, but this time was different. This time his lips were soft, searching, like a man showing the woman he loved of the feelings he had for her. Kel couldn't stop herself from responding. It was becoming a bad habit that was going to have to be broken as soon as possible. Dom tipped her head backwards so that he could deepen the kiss and Kel's resolve broke once more. Suddenly she didn't care that she was in a crowded room or that things with Dom would never be the way she hoped for. She threw her cares into the air and lived for the moment, if only this once. She felt him smile before he came up for air, an emotion in his eyes Kel had never seen before.

"Kel, there's something I need to t…" Whatever he was planning on saying was cut off as an unusually large man plucked him up by the collar.

"Ah, here you are," his voice vibrated trough the room, booming loudly. "I've been looking everywhere for you Robert. Collin's sick and the captain wants you to take his shift for tonight. He'll give you your own shift when Collin doesn't look like he's dying." He waited patiently as Dom scrambled out of his seat, but made no move to exit the room when Dom stood next to him. He frowned at Dom. "Well, aren't you going to say goodbye to your wife? Night shift lasts till early tomorrow morning, you know."

Dom grinned. "Of course, how silly of me to forget." He leaned down and placed another quick kiss on a surprised Kel's lips. "Don't wait up for me hon, you had a long day." With a wink he turned and followed the large man out the room.

Kel sat there for a while, her mind flashing over the events of the day. How had a day that had started so simply ended up taking such a turn? That morning she had been determined to overcome the challenge given to her and now she had to force her mind to even consider going that way. All she could think about was Dom and the fact that they had better set some rules before she ended this mission with a broken heart. Before all of this she had wished that he would notice her a little more, now that she was getting attacked left and right every time she least expected it she was wishing he would notice her a little less. Not that she wasn't secretly enjoying it. That was just the problem; she was enjoying it too much! Dom probably saw her as just another lady he had to seduce and the second the mission was over he would be hot on the court ladies' heels once more. She would always be the squire that had served his Knight Commander and an old friend.

Unless…

Kel smiled as an idea suddenly hit her. Who said that Dom could be the only one who that got to have any fun on this mission? As the plan slowly formed in her mind Kel got up and put away her and Dom's plates before making her way back to her new home. She knew the night watch would only finish in the early hours of the morning so she took Dom's advice and went to bed. Her last thoughts before sleep claimed her was that she was glad Dom wasn't there so see her evil smile. He had absolutely no idea of what was about to hit him.

* * *

**So, you know what to do. ****Click down there and let me know!**


	7. 7: Night Watch

**Sorry for the wait, wanted to post this yesterday but the internet was off. Welcome to Africa…**

**But on to better things. I've finally been on fanfiction long enough to sign up for being a Beta! happy dance, wave flag in air, jump up and down So anyone that's looking for a Beta "Pick me, pick me, pick me!" jump up and down again and again**

**I haven't forgotten about _The Unexpected Dance_, I'm just more in a mood for this one at the moment. Promise I'll update soon!**

**Super duper uber thanks to everyone who added the story (or me) to their alerts or favourites, and once more my list of favourite people, the reviewers: **rider fleetfoot, TheWackedOne **(your song is still playing in my head!), **alykat23 **(thanks SOOO much, I felt so honoured at your words), **spazzysassyangel, Aria657, Jane, sammiegirl, Books-Are-My-Only-Love, Sayuki-no-kimi **(I decided to make the story how I would have wanted and getting these two together would have been first on my list ;) ), **somebody, Sith's Shadow **(the idea of the character was actually based on a real-life Grace I know. She isn't as bad as this Grace – I don't think anyone can! – but my fondest memory of her was when she stood on one of the school desks using a broomstick as a mike and singing High School Musical in a purposefully false tone. She is loud and talkative, but she also has a heart of gold. I'm sure you're the same!). Everyone who reads my story is the reason I continue!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Night watch**

Dom wasn't bored of night watch – he had passed bored several hours before. There were several things he could say about Darkwood, one of them being that there were very few people crazy enough to try and invade the town through the cover of darkness. He and Kel didn't count – they had invaded in broad daylight after all, not in the dark. The only one stupid enough to try and enter had been an unfortunate squirrel who had been charged upon by three bored watchmen.

Dom sighed and stretched out his stiff legs. There was one thing he knew for sure now: being on night watch was one of the least exiting jobs he had ever done! He had started out doing exactly what was expected of him. He had stood at attention, his mind clear and searching for the slightest indication of coming danger. After a few hours of staring blankly at the closest tree, Dom was beginning to wish he could sleep with his eyes open like the man next to him. He knew the man was asleep because he had been leaning against a tree when the squirrel incident knocked him to the ground, which meant he was now sleeping open eyed on the ground.

Dom rubbed his tired eyes. What wouldn't he give to be in bed right now, away from the persistent cold that was determined to strip him of every single strip of heat he had to offer. His bed was calling for him clear across town, his nice soft bed where he could snuggle up to his nice warm wife…

He snapped to attention. Where had that come from? Since when did he think of Kel as his wife without even realising it?

He dug a stick out of his back and snapped it from its branch before twirling it in his hands. Strange as it seemed, Kel was growing on him. No, Kel had been fully planted a while ago – it was Kel as his wife that was slowly sinking its vines into him. But he also knew the very idea was impossible. He was in the King's Own and thus unable to get married unless he quit or was granted a royal pardon. If he did the first him mother would definitely kill him, and besides, he liked being in the Own. He liked the power that came with his position and the men that served with him were like his own brothers. He couldn't leave. Plus he could never live off Kel. She was the youngest of so many children and was a woman after all and thus only had enough to support herself. And as for the second… well, there was no way that he would ever be granted a pardon so he would have to learn to ignore the joy that came with the whole situation. He would have to accept that he and Kel were simply not meant to be. She would find someone else, some handsome knight who had piles of gold and hectares of land to inherit. Kel deserved a happy ending like that.

Dom felt the twig snap in half in his palm. He wanted what was best for Kel but the very thought of her married to another man left him cold as ice. She wasn't his, she would never be his and the sooner he learned to accept that the better. Dom shut his eyes, the twin pieces of broken twig slipping from his grasp. He had to push his feeling for Kel aside and let her get on with her life.

His eyes snapped open. He was going to have to back off, no more games, no more tempting his resolve or her ability to resist him. She was innocent in the art of seduction and had no idea of how to fight her feelings when he tried to charm her. She probably didn't even know what it all meant.

His mind flickered back to the mess hall. He had been on the verge of confessing his love when he had been interrupted. He couldn't stop himself. She didn't know about his feeling yet she had returned his kiss with as much passion as he had given her. He hadn't meant to kiss her but she had been so close and looked so confused at his actions that he hadn't been able to help himself. It was becoming a habit. Every time he saw her he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless until she promised that she would stay there forever. He should have refused Lord Raoul's offer the second he had made it but the thought of sending Kel off into the wilderness without his protection made his blood run cold. She didn't need his protection, but seeing she was safe would make him much happier than pacing back at forth back in Tortall while worrying about her safety.

If only he knew what she thought of him. If he was just Dom, her friend and Neal's cousin.

It was as he was pondering this that someone came strolling down the road, torch in hand.

"Shift's over, Winters. Go home to your wife before that lovesick expression freezes on your face." He grinned as he handed Dom the torch and took his place. "Hope you're alright to go alone. Looks like Johnny here is ready for another shift," He indicated the man sleeping on the floor with him head.

Dom nodded. "That he is."

* * *

Getting home proved more difficult than Dom had initially expected. Every single house looked the same and he just couldn't figure out which was his and Kel's. He nearly walked into thee houses that weren't his own before he finally found another watchman coming home and asked him where _Secret Villa_ was. The secret, Dom was beginning to realise, was that its owners had no idea which one it was. The man happily showed Dom the way, laughing merrily at Dom's bad luck as he did. Feeling annoyed and sleepy Dom entered the house. The chairs were all small and cramped, indicating that he was going to have a very uncomfortable night ahead of him. He first had to sneak into the main bedroom to get his sleeping cloths and a blanket. Kel was fast asleep on the bed, her body spread out to one side with plenty of space next to her inviting Dom to forgo being a gentleman and joining her. He had already taken a step towards her before he managed to remind himself that he had no right to do so. Kel trusted him, just as he trusted her. He was here to help her, not assault her every few minutes as he was currently doing.

Taking a deep breath he went to search for his cloths and a blanket. This ended up being twenty times harder than he had expected. He found his cloths easily enough but none of the closets had any blankets in them. Ok, so he was going to have to sleep without one, not something that sounded too wonderful but he had experienced worse while in the King's Own. He found the small chamber with the privy and a small metal tub on the opposite side of the room and quickly got dressed. Feeling dead on his feet he exited the chamber and cast one last look at Kel. She was normally a warrior to be feared, quiet and commanding, her head held high, but seeing her sleep Dom saw the side of her few others ever saw. Asleep she looked just as determined as she did when she was awake but she also looked innocent and unsure, qualities she rarely showed in the waking world. Once more Dom felt his heart clench, filled with the desire to keep her close and safe.

Unable to stop himself he stepped closer and dropped a feather soft kiss on her forehead. He had expected her to stay fast asleep thus allowing him to slip out of the room undetected. He didn't expect her to wake at the touch and instantly sit up in fright, her forehead banging squarely into his nose. Dom's hands flew to his nose as it started bleeding, pain shooting through his face.

"Dom?" Kel's own hands flew to her mouth in horror as she took in the situation. "I'm so sorry, I didn't expect…" she froze mid sentence as she remembered how much a nose bled when hit. She threw the covers aside and slipped past Dom to search for something to catch the blood in. She found a tin cup in the cupboards of the main room and quickly returned to the bedroom. Dom was now sitting exactly where she had been asleep mere seconds before, his fingers pinching his nose while his head was tipped backwards to stop the flow. She handed him the cup and pulled his hand away to inspect the damage. He was lucky, his nose wasn't broken just bleeding. That didn't mean it was any less painful. Her plan would have to wait, right now she had to worry about Dom. Leaving him to hold his nose once more she rushed to her cupboard and pulled out a pair of stockings. Inside, carefully wrapped to conceal its contents, was her bruise balm. Kel grabbed a wash cloth from the rim of the tub before she returned to sit next to Dom. He allowed her to remove his hand and carefully clean off the blood so that she could apply the bruise balm. Kel bit her lip as she worked, afraid that she might hurt him if she wasn't careful. Dom, for his part, kept dead still as she worked, biting back the pain and trusting her to take it away. Kel wasn't sure what Dom had been doing hovering over her but she decided she was going to trust him. He would never heart her and judging by the sleepy look in his eyes and the cool feel of his skin Kel assumed he had only just gotten home. He had probably been saying goodnight. Dabbing one last time, Kel closed the balm's lid and returned it to its hiding place. When she turned back she could already see the affect of the balm on Dom. His eyes were closed, the pain obviously gone.

"Better?" she sat down next to him once more.

His eyes opened slowly, almost lazily. "Yes, thanks Kel." He felt the tip of his nose gingerly like he was afraid it would suddenly start bleeding again. He wasn't use to the powers of her balm, Kel realised. Satisfied he could sleep safely Dom stood up. "Kel, I should apologize…"

Kel held up one hand and shook her head. There was no way she was going to let him apologize for simply kissing her on the forehead, especially not when she had the perfect plan already formed in her mind. "It's okay Dom, don't mention it."

Dom nodded. "Alright, if you say so." He stood, his expression uncomfortable. "I'll guess it's goodnight then."

His words confused Kel but nether the less she nodded. "I guess so."

"Eh, well, goodnight Kel." He looked more uncomfortable by the second.

"Goodnight Dom,"

With a nod Dom turned, but instead of heading to the other side of the bed as Kel had thought he would he headed for the door between the bedroom and the main room.

"Wait, where are you going?"

Dom froze three quarters of the way to the door. "I'm going to bed."

"In the main room?" Kel was the one who was confused now.

Dom took a deep breath. "Kel, I know we have to follow this charade the whole way but I can't sleep next to you at night." Rejection stung like a horde of bees. Kel fought to keep the sudden heartbreak of her face. At least now she knew that Dom didn't think of her as she thought of him. "It just wouldn't be right." He continued. "You're a lady, a lady knight but still a lady. It wouldn't be honourable for me to take advantage of the situation like that."

Hope flowed through Kel again. He wasn't rejecting her; he was simply being a gentleman and trying to protect her virtue.

"I understand but there's one – no two – flaws in your plan." His eyebrows rose in surprise. "The windows."

They rose further. "The windows?"

"Yes, the windows. Only the bedroom windows have curtains. Everyone will be able to see you sleeping on the couch Dom. Don't you think they'll find it a little suspicious that in the day you can't keep your hands off of me but at night you're banished to the couch?" She couldn't stop the small blush that spread across her cheeks at the words.

Dom mauled the words over in his head. Kel could see that he was realising that his plan wasn't that well thought out. "What's the second flaw in my plan?"

Kel grimaced. "Grace. She marches in her as if she owns the place and if she catches you there the whole town will know in five minutes flat."

Dom's shoulders dropped in defeat. "You're right, of course. She doesn't even bother knocking, does she? But this still doesn't feel right."

Kel shrugged. "You have your side of the bed and I have mine. It'll be fine Dom. I would've put a pillow between us but…" she glanced at the two pillows on the bed. There wasn't a third to spare.

Dom sighed before slowly making his way to the bed. Kel claimed her favourite side and snuggled under the covers. The blankets were warm and kept out most of the cold but Kel couldn't help but wish Jump was there to snuggle next to her and provide a little extra heat. Dom made sure to stay as far to his side as he could without falling off the bed. Within minutes he was out, his breaths deep and even to indicate his decent into sleep. Kel wasn't as lucky. She knew Dom was asleep and as far away on the opposite side as possible but his presence kept her awake. Knowing he was there, close enough to touch, made Kel restless and despite her tiredness she started tossing and turning, unable to get back to sleep. When her restlessness reached half an hour she heard Dom groan. She looked over at him, surprised to find him fast asleep. Even though he was sound asleep he felt her agitation and it bothered him as well. Without waking he slung an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Kel's eyes widened but found she couldn't complain about the change in scenario. Sighing in defeat she snuggled against Dom instead and mere minutes later she was fast asleep.

* * *

The tavern was old and run down but still fully functional. Lanterns were lit in the window allowing the cloaked man to make his way up the path to the front door. The innkeeper didn't even blink as he entered. The tavern wasn't a stranger to shady character and a man concealed from head to toe in black was more alone the lines of the norm that the abnormal. The man stopped in the doorway to inspect the room in front of him. It was very early in the morning meaning that most people were already in bed, but there were still a few people in the room. Two men sitting in the middle of the room were quietly playing a game of cards, another man was seated in the dark corner sipping a tankard of ale while nearby a group of bazhir were speaking to each other in a low whisper. On the opposite side of the room a man was laying face first on the table, fast asleep, but the lone figure sitting by the fire was who the man was looking for. The figure was also dressed from head to toe in a black cloak to conceal its identity but its small stature gave it away.

The man ignored the innkeeper and made his way to the fire. He stopped right in front of the figure seated there. "Imagine seeing you here, Alanna."

One hand reached for her hood as Alanna smiled up at her husband. "George, what took you so long?"

George Cooper removed his hood as well before taking a seat opposite to her. "It's no exactly close is it?"

"Or very easy to break into," Alanna agreed, "but you being who you are I can't image it was the difficult,"

George smiled at his wife. He could see the strain she was taking trying to keep herself calm. She was on the verge of demanding to know what he had discovered but was trying not to show her anxiety at the same time. He knew she was worried about Kel in case the plan didn't go as planned. But George was also having too much fun making her wait.

"Aye, it was. I had to climb that wall, and then I had to find them, dodging watchmen as I went. It's not that easy climbing walls meant to keep people out, you know?"

Alanna's teeth were beginning to clench together in impatience. "I know."

"And the amount of guards! You'd swear they expect to be attacked by an army of secret spies. It was like the time I…"

"George!" Alanna had lost her patience. "What is the status on the mission?"

George smiled lopsidedly at his wife. "Relax Alanna, everything's fine. The plan is progressing at quite a pace. If things keep going like this we should have positive results in no time."

Alanna finally relaxed, a large smile spreading across her face. "Good, I knew I was right! And Marcus?"

"Marcus is playing his role like a true actor. Those two are as suspicious of him as you were of Rodger. And the fact that the Lord of Darkwood had taken such good care of the village and its people are making it all the more suspicious. I don't know how you did it Alanna but you may have created the perfect scheme."

Alanna reached across the table to take her husband's hand in hers. "Don't forget that little trick we still have up our sleeves. This plan is going to work George even if I have to let them know it was a scheme all along and force them to the altar with a sword positioned at their backs."

George leaned forward to place a soft kiss on Alanna's lips. "It'll work love, stop worrying. Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't seen my wife in ages and plan on spending the night assuring her of how much I missed her."

"Oh?" Alanna played innocent. "And am I invited?"

George sighed dramatically. "Well, if you really have to I guess I can't stop you."

Alanna leaned forward until her nose was mere inches from his. "I'd love to see you try." With a laugh she pulled him up and towards the stairs leading to the rooms, once more ignoring the innkeeper as they passed him.

* * *

**Ok, hahaha, just had to make you guys wait a little longer to find out what Kel's plan is and now you can wonder about the little "trick up their sleeves" as well. Don't hate me, curiosity keeps you reading, doesn't it? =P**

**Couldn't resist adding Alanna and George after the previous response I got from his appearance. Hope you guys are enjoying it!**

**Remember to review! =)**

**Oh and could someone please tell me what the length of a chapter should be approximately. I keep worrying that it's too long or too short. Thanks!**

**F²**


	8. 8: An Unexpected Ally

**Hey guys, I have a very important question for you guys at the end of the chapter so please look for it when you've finished the chapter.**

**Thanks for the patient wait for this chapter. I was having a mini case of writer's block when an excellent idea hit me – I now know what Alanna's little trick up her sleeve is, I admit when I wrote it I had no idea what it was going to be – and then just as I got the idea my new puppy arrived – he's my new profile picture. For anyone who's wondering he's a miniature dachshund – or 'worshond' as we call them.**

**To all my favourite people – those who added my stories as alerts and favourites – thanks so much!**

**And then of course, to the reviewers: **Sith's Shadow **(you're not the only one! I always wanted George to end up with Alanna in the Song of the Lioness. It wasn't that I didn't like Jon, it was just that I likes George that much more. Therefore I couldn't help but worm him into the story. Watch, I'm going to try and worm Neal in there some way or the other),** Aria657 **(Then Alanna's plan is dedicated especially to you – you might just have to wait a few chapters for it),** TheWackedOne **(Naturally spoiling the soup would be bad, stretching it out a bit is always loads of fun, just look at how often authors do it. But don't worry, if all goes according to plan you'll find out by the next chapter. Oh, and I definitely have to say super thanks for your wonderful reviews! I smile each time I read them!),** spazzysassyangel **(Thank you!),** Rider Fleetfoot **(Haha, I can promise to try and update with as much speed as possible, especially now that you've reminded me I don't have any excuses!),** Rdr-Wrtr **(Thanks so much for the compliment and the advice!),** somebody's sister **(Thank you!),** m0rganosity **(Thank you so much the compliment! I felt so honoured when I read your review! I have to agree, I also loved the series but felt Tammy should really have gotten Kel and Dom together. It's not that she needs a man in her life but she deserves a chance to be happy too! I'm sure most POTS fans can second that.)** **and** RealGirlsHaveCurves **(Thank you so so so much! Is it okay if I blame you for the goofy smile of happiness I had on my face for an hour after reading your review? Thank you so much for the support!).**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**An Unexpected Ally**

Yesterday's hint of sun swept away with the wind and the villagers of Darkwood were met by a storm straight out of their worst nightmares the following morning. Rain drops dropped like arrows from the sky to crash onto the small houses while the wind howled furiously as it held a tug-of-war with every object it managed to get in its grasp. People brave enough to try and exit their homes were quickly propelled along by the wind in every direction except the one they were trying to go in. As the temperatures dropped even further snow followed hot on rain's heels. By late morning the storm had brought the town to a stand still.

Kel, usually one to rise at the fist trace of dawn, slept through the noise and only woke when she heard a soft knock on the door. She lifted her head groggily, desperately wishing she could go back to sleep again, when the knock came a second time. Forcing her unwilling eyes open she turned her gaze to Dom. He was still fast asleep, his body acting as a second blanket as he lay snuggled against Kel. She could still see a splotch of blood staining the skin underneath his nose from where she laid. He was tired and needed the sleep and the knowledge gave Kel the strength to force herself to wake and answer the door before he was woken up too.

Getting out of Dom's solid grip was much harder than Kel had ever expected. He held on to her tightly, like a child clinging to its favourite blanket, and Kel had to wiggle carefully from side to side to get loose. She was nearly off the bed when Dom, still asleep, clasped a hand onto her elbow. Tired to playing this game Kel grabbed her pillow and stuffed it into his arms so that he had something to hold onto when she was gone. Kel didn't have a robe and she had wasted enough time getting out of bed to get dressed first, so she had no choice but to answer the door as she was. Gritting her teeth, and praying it wasn't Grace (Dom wouldn't sleep through one of her early morning visits), Kel pulled open the door.

Sally stood there, a woolly blanket wrapped around her body to protect her from the severe cold and a wooden try clasped in her gloved hands. Kel was only just beginning to realise how chilly it was when she saw Sally's clothing, her body still warm from sleeping.

"I brought you and Robert some tea," Sally explained referring to the three steaming mugs on the tray.

Kel blinked in surprised but it was quickly followed by a grin of pure joy. "Oh, thank you Sally! Please come in." she opened the door to let the young woman in, quickly peering around the edges of the door to ensure Grace wasn't nearby. Kel was more than willing to converse with Sally this soon after sleep but she had a feeling she would need far more than tea to survive another session with her neighbour. Stories about monkeys were only cute the first time – okay, they weren't even cute the first time, but Kel had managed to pretend they were but a second time would be like poking a lion with a stick after it had miraculously decided not to eat you.

While Kel closed the door Sally made herself at home, putting the tray on a low table by the chairs. She had already poured the first cup when Kel joined her.

"I'm afraid Robert had night watch last night and is still sleeping." Her gaze moved to the door leading to the bedroom and she sincerely hope the door was thick enough to keep their voices out.

Sally nodded sympathetically. "I understand. My father had had night watch since I was a little girl and he usually slept the day away. I hope it's not permanent?"

Kel shook her head. "No, he was filling in. They haven't picked a permanent spot yet but I hope it's not night watch." Sally nodded in understanding. "How did your parents survive it? Your mother must have worked all day and your father had night watch." Kel saw the sudden glint of sorrow in Sally's eyes and realised with dismay she didn't really have any right to ask the other woman that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just…"

"You can't imagine never seeing Robert?" That hadn't been what Kel had planned on saying but it seemed like a good enough reason so she nodded. "Yes, well I'm sorry to sound so serious but not everyone is as lucky as you and I am Sarah. Few women have husbands that love them and dote on them like they're some precious jewel. When I first married Cain I knew I was one of the rare cases of people actually finding the love of my life. My friends thought I was crazy to marry someone with Cain's reputation but they didn't understand. Most of them are married to men who they respect but don't really love and some of them were forced into marriage by their parents. None of them understand the love I feel for Cain, none of them can comprehend how wonderful he makes me feel. We were made for each other, why else would he have been desperate to be a bachelor until he met me? I'm so glad to have finally met someone else who shares that love with their husband too."

Kel looked at her blankly until her words finally sank in. "Me?"

"Yes, you Sarah. You and Robert were made for each other too. I can see it in the way you two act, always considering the other's choice, also touching, stealing kisses even when everyone's watching. Face it Sarah, you were bitten by the love bug when you met him."

"You have no idea," Kel murmured.

"Hmm, what was that?"

"Oh, I said I'm sure you're right. I know I'm the luckiest woman alive to have such an adoring husband." Or at least she would have been had the whole thing not been such a large sham in the first place. By now Kel was more than willing to admit that the whole idea had probably been one big mistake. How would she cope if her plan didn't work as she wanted it to? She would have to be with Dom everyday until the mission was finished. What would she do if he didn't return her feelings? Kel mentally shook herself. Now wasn't the time to worry about that, first she would have to worry about the plan itself. Her gaze suddenly flew to Sally as the idea suddenly hit her. She had the perfect ally sitting right across from her, why not ask her for help? "Sally, how would you like me to knock Rob's feet out from under him to show him he's not the only romantic?"

A slow smile turned Sally's feature from angelic to pure mischief. "What can I do to help?"

* * *

Dom wasn't entirely sure what woke him but the first thing his sleepy mind took in was the cold. Automatically his sleep clouded mind reached for the heat it knew was supposed to be next to it. When his hand only scraped the bed sheet Dom forced an eye open. He was alone in bed, the sheets next to him crumpled to indicate that his mind had been correct to remember someone had been next to him. If only his mind would clear! He made a half hearted effort to get up but his body had other ideas and halfway there he flopped back down onto the opposite side of the bed. His nose was the first to hit the pillow and white hot pain shot through his head in response. Dear word, it felt like someone had whacked him in the face with a stone! He'd have to borrow some more of that bruise balm of …

Kel!

He shot up into a sitting position. How the heck had he forgotten he was on a mission! The world could have come to an end and he'd have been lying there, happily dreaming of… Dom swallowed. That must have been it. He scooped up Kel's pillow and inhaled. It smelled of her, just like her side of the bed did, and that must have been what had triggered that little fantasy of his. He couldn't remember what had happened – which was probably more of a blessing than a curse – but he could clearly remember her smiling at him and feeling happier than he had since – well, ever.

No, he had to remind himself that this was all just pretend, that the second they were finished here both of them would have to return to their normal lives which certainly could not include romance in any way or form. Dom wouldn't mind but he knew Kel deserved much better than what he could offer her.

Dom rubbed his eyes and assessed the situation around him. He had known he would be tired after night watch but he would never have thought he could sleep until night time! It was so dark in the room that there was no other explanation – or at least none he could think of at that moment in time. Wincing form the sudden cold he got and walked to the window, his bare feet freezing on the stone floor. As he peeked past the curtains he got an unexpected answer to his doubts. The reason it was so dark was because of the snow that was now drifting from the heavens. Dom murmured a quick prayer to Mithros that he wouldn't be on guard duty again that night. He wasn't really in a mood to freeze his behind off, especially when he was ninety-nine percent sure there wouldn't be someone trying to invade in the middle of a snow storm. Then again, there were crazy people hiding under ever rock nowadays.

Curious to find out what Kel was up to Dom shut the curtains and gathered his cloths. He'd known that he would miss his cloths most of all but really hadn't expected to be this desperate so soon. If he didn't know any better he'd think he'd gone soft. Maybe he should tell Lord Raoul that he was treating his men too well after the mission was finished – then again, maybe not. He wasn't fond of the idea of being hated by every man in the King's Own.

Pulling on the warmest coat he had – which still wasn't warm enough – he headed for the door. His hand was reaching for the doorknob when he caught the sound of voices coming from the main room. Silently he pulled the door open and peered inside. Two women were seated there, quietly talking and laughing. The closest one to him was Kel, who he was astonished to see was sitting in her sleep garments. It wasn't that they were indecent but rather that they offered much less protection to the cold than a fur lined coat would. He could see her shivering so there was no way she wasn't feeling the cold either. She seemed to be enjoying her conversation with her new friend too much. Sally was sitting opposite Kel, dressed much as he himself was.

Dom backed into the bedroom and yanked the bed sheets from the bed before slipping into the main room. Kel was in mid conversation as he approached her.

"I don't think she intends to dominate the conversation but she does. If only she would… Oh!" she broke off in surprise as Dom covered her with the sheet and carefully tucked her in.

"You're going to freeze to death love," he warned, placing a soft husbandly kiss on her cheek. "So, discussing our neighbours are we?"

Both Sally and Kel flushed slightly, Sally because they had been caught discussing Grace but Kel had far different motives. She had been surprised at Dom's appearance and had been overcome with joy that he hadn't been awake to do so earlier. She didn't want him knowing about her plan even if things were steadily falling in place. The flush had however been caused by the soft kiss of the cheek. For goodness sake, it had only been on the cheek and Dom had done much more the previous day, but for some reason the gentle kiss had meant much more. The small kiss of a husband made Kel feel safe in her role as wife – which she had to admit it shouldn't have. He was just doing this for Sally sake and the sooner she got over her obsession of looking for signs that he liked her, the better.

Good luck with that.

Dom made himself comfortable in the seat next to Kel's. "So, are we or aren't we?"

Sally flushed harder. "We weren't discussing her, just giving tips for improvement – which she can't hear." Her smile was filled with panic causing Dom to laugh.

"Don't worry; I'm not Grace's number one fan. I think I have a tip or two you can add to the list."

"I'm sure you do," Kel murmured under her breath.

"Hmm, what was that wife?"

"Nothing, nothing at all,"

Dom frowned playfully. "You know you sound just like Neal when you say that."

Kel smiled at the thought but it was quickly replaced by a frown when Sally curiously asked, "Who's Neal,"

Dom's eyes widened as he realised his mistake. "He's Robert's cousin," Kel said quickly before Dom could answer. There was no need to lie, there were probably plenty of Neals all over the world and it was easier to tell the truth than to think up a lie. Besides, what would they do if one of them accidentally slipped up again?

"Oh," Sally took another sip of tea – she had gone to get a pot minutes earlier – and left the topic at that, clearly having no interest in pursuing the matter any further.

Kel watched Dom mentally scold himself – his frown gave him away – and decided to distract him. "I got very interesting news today,' Kel told him.

The distraction worked. "Oh?"

"Yes, dear husband, it seems you forgot to tell me that as a watch man who will also be used for patrol you earn enough money so that I don't have to work."

Surprise flashed through Dom's eyes but his expression remained neutral. "I didn't think that would be a problem." Or in actual fact Raoul and Alanna didn't think that would be a problem. Typical, give Dom all the work and leave Kel to count her toes during the day. Then again, since Kel had all that free time she had more than enough time she would be able to check out the village and continue with the mission. Maybe the two of them weren't so clueless after all.

"You didn't?" Kel couldn't resist teasing him.

Dom suddenly smiled at her, his smile filled with mischief. "Yes, why would I want you to work when I plan of having you stuck at home raising babies as soon as possible?"

This time Kel and Sally blushed for the same reason. Dom leaned back, smug at beating Kel in the teasing department, when there was a knock on the door. Both women turned to him like they expected him to answer the door. Which, he realised, they did. Sighing in defeat he got up and made his way to the door, peering around the edge of the door as he opened it.

"Don't worry, my wife isn't with me." It was Greg.

Dom smiled ruefully. "Are we that obvious?"

Greg snorted. "It would have been less obvious if you were the only one who did it." Dom couldn't argue with that logic so he stood aside so that Greg could enter but the blacksmith shook his head. "I don't have long to talk, I just came to tell you they chose a permanent spot for you to be on watch duty."

Please don't let it be in the middle of the night again, Dom pleaded silently. "When?"

"Right now,"

"No…" Dom started to protest but Kel hurried to the door, the bed sheet carefully wrapped around her. "Thank you Greg," she smiled at the older man, "You must excuse Rob, he had a late night last night," She pushed Dom out the door. "Don't complain, it's better than midnight duty."

"What about you?" Dom was clearly looking for a reason to refuse.

"I'm fine with Sally, we'll probably spend the rest of the day talking about woman things."

"Oh, I'd stay away from that if I were you," Greg actually sounded sympathetic.

Dom finally gave in. "I don't like leaving you alone," he told Kel after a nod to Greg.

"I'll be fine Rob, you know me."

A small smile spread across Dom's lips before he leaned down and claimed Kel's lips in a quick kiss. "That I do,"

With a nod in Sally's direction, he turned and followed Greg. The second they were out of sight Kel slammed the door shut and turned to Sally who was now also on her feet.

"Okay, he'll be back by dinner so we have until then to get this plan into action."

Sally looked extremely happy. "He won't know what hit him,"

Kel sincerely hoped she was right. "Let's go," She had turned and headed for the door when she realised she had forgotten something. She turned to Sally and smiled sheepishly. "I should probably get dressed first, right?"

* * *

**Now to the question. I've figured out what Alanna's trick will involve as well as an unexpected problem that will arise, the only problem is that this will come in the way of the plan I had of getting Kel and Dom together during the mission. My question is: do you want Kel's plan to work before I can mess with them a little? Otherwise you romance fans – under which I totally classify myself – will have to suffer a few more chapters.**

**The next chapter or two is your hands now guys! Please let me know what you think!**

**Thanks for reading and if you can, please review!**

**F² =)**


	9. 9: Kel's Plan

**Super thanks for all the reviews guys. It makes me so happy to see that you guys care, especially when I'm struggling a bit with the piece! Hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you think!**

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**spazzysassyangel ****(hey, discovered your PMs are disabled, so I just want to say super thanks for the review and I hope you like her plan!)****, Aria657, GreenQueen615, TheWackedOne, m0rganosity RealGirlsHaveCurves, TopazDragon, Blackdraumdancer please check your inbox, and as also a big thank you to the anonymous reviewers: EmiRose (Thanks so much for the review. Read a story and realised with quite a shock how right you were and that my chapters need to be much longer. I hope this one is up to standard! Thanks so much for the eye opener!), somebody's sister (Hmm, you may just enjoy this chapter then ;) ) and somebody (Thanks so much. I don't think you expected an update this soon, did you? Don't worry, neither did I!)**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Kel's Plan**

Kel twisted her head from side to side to try and see behind her back but to no avail. The cloth being wound around her was too tight. She could barely breathe, never mind see behind her!

"Stay still!" Sally scolded as she pushed another pin into the fabric – and right into the flesh under Kel's right arm. Kel yelped at the sharp pain but Sally only pulled the pin out and stuck it into the fabric. "I told you not to move. If you won't listen, then you'll have to feel."

Kel scowled at the reply. "I wouldn't have moved if we haven't been at this for the last hour and a half," she muttered between clenched teeth. She knew they were doing her a favour, but after being shoved in all direction, scrubbed like she'd rolled in mud before being squeezed to death while being poked and prodded she was feeling less thankful. "Besides," she went on as she tried to study the dress again, "is this even decent?"

Sally stabbed another pin into Kel's skin. "Sarah dear, you're a newlywed, the dress is for your husband, it's not suppose to be decent!"

Kel felt her blush all the way to her toes. If she'd know Sally would take this so far she would never have asked for the help. Sally was treating this like a personal mission and no matter how hard Kel complained, argued or threatened she wasn't giving up. Kel had tried to refuse but Sally had simply forced her into place and given her the same speech.

"Sarah, do you want Robert to think you're sexy or not? This dress is sexy and it's going to knock his feet out from under him. It'll make him see the newlywed he married and not the old woman he'll be married to in ten years. So what if you show off a little skin, it'll be worth it."

Kel wasn't so sure. For one she didn't think even if she and Dom were married she'd look like an old maid in ten years. And secondly, the dress was showing off much more than 'a little skin'. In Kel's opinion it was right on the edge of indecent, unevenly balancing and tilting dangerously toward the wrong side.

"Your father must have been a cruel man to have let you work so hard! No woman should have this much muscle!" Sally yanked hard and Kel could almost feel her lungs collapse. Mithros she missed Lalassa. She had never pulled this much or complained non-stop about Kel's muscular stature. Sally on the other hand seemed to believe that the more you pulled the better the dress would fit, something Kel could confirm was untrue through first hand experience. The dress was pulled once more. By now she missed Lalassa and breathing!

"There, just stand like that until I get more pins,"

Leaving Kel standing there like a fly stuck in a spider's web Sally exited the house. The second she was out the door Kel used the last amount of strength she could muster and yanked out a few pins. As the dress loosened from her chest she sucked in a few mouthful of much needed air. That was better. She spun around until she faced the mirror Sally had so carefully managed to hide. Kel's hazel eyes widened in shock. There she was, her brown hair carefully combed until it hung smoothly and brushed her shoulders while her face had been carefully painted. She had thought that it would be too much in the beginning but Sally had been more of a master than she had anticipated. Her eyes looked large and clear, the black lining bringing out more green than brown while her cheeks had a light pink flush to it and her lips looked natural and healthy. The dress had Kel torn. Sally had been right, she did look sexy, and not in a bad-almost-prostitute-like way, but in a what-every-young-court-lady-wished-she-could-look-like way. Maybe it was because she wasn't use to wearing cloths that revealed a little bit of skin that Kel felt so uncomfortable because now that she saw it for herself she had to agree with Sally. This was exactly what she needed to win Dom over.

"Oh no, you looked!" Sally suddenly reappeared carrying another box of sharp pins. Kel didn't want to go near her. "And you undid some of the pins!"

"Sally, I couldn't breathe"

Sally's expression said she didn't see the problem with that. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I thought my yelps of pain were giving a clear enough indication."

Sally's eyes narrowed. "Now's not a good time for sarcasm Sarah, this is a war. You may not know what war is like being a sheltered little village girl from the other side of the country, but let me tell you, war is serious business. One wrong move and you could let your entire army down. Do you want to let your entire army down?" Kel had to fight a smile while slowly shaking her head. "I didn't think so," Shaking her head at Kel's folly, Sally stated looking Kel up and down, moving her this way and that until she seemed satisfied. "You know, I actually think it looks better like this." Kel breathed a mental sigh of relief. Finally, after a day of running around in the snow to get things perfect, things seemed to be falling in place. She had managed to beg the kitchens into bringing her and Dom's meal home so that the two of them could eat there, had managed to find some aromatic candles from some of Sally's friends and had begged a bottle of wine from one of the cellars even though they at first refused to open due to the snow. The man would have been happy to leave Kel out in the snow and slam the door in her face had Grace not suddenly approached in the distance. He had pulled her inside the building quicker than she could yell, "Hi Grace!"

The only thing left to do was the dress. She had intended on doing it herself at first – it wasn't a complicated dress and she had over three hours to stitch it – but Sally had refused.

"If your other cloths are anything to go by, you're not very good at stitching," she had said without even looking sorry for her words. Kel didn't mind, she couldn't really tell Sally that none of the cloths in her closet belonged to her. Besides, now there were three people working on her dress – Sally wasn't any good at it either but she did have a lot of friends – and she had an hour left to relax.

"What would you have done if I hadn't helped with the dress?" Sally asked as they hung the new curtains in the main room. Kel had thought it was beyond time that she got some privacy in her own home and if things went according to plan that night she wouldn't have to convince Dom to stay in the bedroom. If things didn't proceed that way she would willingly lock him out herself.

Kel nearly dropped her side of the curtain in surprise. Had Sally always been that harsh with her? Wasn't Sally the nice one while Grace was the one she avoided like death?

Sally's expression fell as she noticed Kel's shocked expression. Her gaze turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, that came out a little harsh, didn't it? I tend to get a little overexcited when I want something to be perfect. I hope you didn't take offence?"

Kel _had_ taken offence but she had faced much worse in life so it was easy to brush off something as minor as that. "It's alright, no harm done,"

Sally's eyes shone with relief and Kel was once more thankful she was such an easy going person. Her ability to keep calm had solved this problem with such easy proving once more that getting angry solved absolutely nothing. Alright, maybe sometimes it helped, but only in the cases where people wouldn't get information past their inflated egos no matter how hard you tried.

"Everything's set, right?"

Kel nodded. "Everything's set. This was the last curtain, the dinner's coming just before Robert does, the wine is on the table and the candles can be lit when dinner arrives. I just need the dress to be finished and then I'll be ready as well."

Sally clapped her hands together in glee. "I can't wait Sarah, this night is going to be so romantic and perfect, I can just tell."

Kel sincerely hoped she was right. She hadn't had a clue what she had wanted to do when she originally came up with her plan. All she knew was that she needed to give Dom one of the most romantic nights he had ever experienced. She needed him to see that she was willing to give the relationship a chance if he was. She just needed to believe. He wasn't Cleon, he wasn't about to be forced into marriage to save his fief and leave Kel like she was some toy to be played with before being thrown away. As far as Kel knew Dom's fief was faring pretty well at the moment, he was, after all, a Queenscove cousin and, being in the King's Own, Dom couldn't marry anyway, never mind be forced into marriage. Kel would worry about that when the time came, at that moment she still wanted, no needed, to hear Dom say he felt the same way.

The dinner, candles, wine and looking sexy had been Sally's idea. Just look at the catch she had gotten, she had laughed. Kel had sat there with a goofy grin on her face. It was the only smile she could force so it was either that or look at Sally with a horrified expression. Kel wasn't sure she could classify Cain as a 'catch'. To each their own she guessed.

"The dress is ready Sally!" one of the women called and held up the garment for inspection. Kel felt a bubble of anxiety raise in her throat. This wasn't going to work. She was going to make a fool of herself and ruin the entire mission just because she had been stupid enough to get Sally to help her. She was a complete and utter fool for thinking something as trivial as looking attractive could convince a man like Dom to fall for someone like her. Someone who fought for a living and who had enough muscles to prove it. Someone who went around in a shirt and breeches and demanding respect like a man did. Someone who towered over most people and, according to her sister-in-law, looked like a cow! She had to flee now, before this went too far.

"Oh no you don't," Sally grasped her by the arm, the expression of panic giving away Kel's plan, "You're going in there and you're going to put on that dress. In ten minutes you're going to come out and show us all what it looks like and then you're going to wait for your husband to come home so that he can drool over how wonderful you look. Now go!" She shoved the dress into Kel's hands and pushed her into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her with a snap and closing off the only exit route.

Kel took a deep breath as she surveyed her options. She could gather every inch of courage she had and go put on the dress so that maybe, just maybe, she could have one of the most wonderful nights of her life. Or she could try the window.

Making sure that the door was firmly closed Kel dashed across the room to the window. Darn, there was no way she would ever be able to fit through it! Her gaze turned to the dress. She was going to have to be brave, there was no escape – Kel didn't think she could overpower Sally and her three friends without raising any suspicion. Stalking behind the screen Kel couldn't help but think Dom had better be extremely grateful.

Sally had given her ten minutes to get dressed and Kel decided to use all the time she had. She got dressed leisurely, checking every inch of the dress while she knew Sally waited impatiently behind the closed door. Kel had to admit, the seamstresses were wonderful at their job. In the short time they had been given they had turned the soft white fabric – there hadn't really been much choice when she and Sally had gone to buy some fabric – into a gown fit for a Queen – a Queen that had very strange dressing habits, but a Queen nether the less. The dress fell to the ground in a curtain of white lace, the sleeves extending the length of Kel's arm while the neckline plunged further than Kel preferred. It didn't reveal that much, a fact Kel had made sure of several times by peeking in the mirror, but it was still the most risqué outfit she had ever worn. The snow white colour of the material made Kel almost feel like a bride in her wedding gown, but the neckline and wrap of the dress made her feel daring and sensual like the woman who would lure the groom away from his own wedding.

Kel took a final peek in the mirror. What would her mother say if she saw her now? Gone was the knight Kel had worked so hard to achieve, her place taken by a woman who was now finally ready to take charge of her life.

It was the dress that gave her the courage to push open the door and face Sally and the seamstresses, Kel was sure of it. Her entrance was met by clap and a – embarrassingly loud – wolf whistle.

"Oh Sarah, it's perfect!" Sally was practically jumping up and down with happiness as Kel turned in a slow circle to show off the dress. Her mind couldn't help but flash back to the last time someone had admired her dress so thoroughly. It had been the night of Neal's wedding, outside in the garden when she and Dom had been waiting for Alanna and Raoul to reappear. Kel could feel Dom's hand on hers, spinning her in a quick circle, before the moment turned intense as he leaned towards her… and then Neal had interrupted! Kel felt the sudden need to strangle her best friend. If it hadn't been for him she might have already know whether Dom liked her or if he had simply been confused by the intensity of the moment. She frowned. She almost wished the night was over. She was steadily beginning to lose her courage again by the second and if Dom didn't come soon she was going to hide in the cupboard.

"Here," Sally stuffed a glass full of wine into Kel's hand. "It'll help you relax."

Kel looked down at the glass. She wasn't much of a drinker and preferred juice to wine but maybe the situation called for something a little stronger than usual. _For courage_, Kel thought as she took a deep swallow.

* * *

**A Few Hours Earlier…**

The room was packed with travellers desperate to escape the cold, their cloths and hair dusted with a covering of snow as they automatically crowded towards the fireplace. Most were shivering, their hands and feet wet from having to travel through the unexpected storm towards the nearest tavern. It was a hard job getting warm, especially because a short redhead sat at a table directly in front of the fire and was refusing to move.

Alanna didn't care that everyone arriving at the tavern was cold. She had gotten to her table first and if they wanted it they would have to take it by force. She hated the cold more than anything else in the world – except maybe travelling by boat. She hated that just as much.

She turned her purple eyes to glare at a new group of arrivals heading directly for the fire. They pushed tables out of their way in their haste to reach the warmth but Alanna was going to be much harder to brush aside.

"Shorty, could you move?" They didn't even try to be nice, their tone clearly indicating that they thought themselves far superior.

If they weren't going to play nice then neither was Alanna.

"No," she raised her eyes to glare directly at the man that had spoken. He gaped at her in shock before suddenly bursting out laughing. His loud booming voice echoed across the room and several heads whipped in their direction to see what was happening.

"That wasn't a question, lady, it was an order. Move out of the way or we'll do it for you."

Alanna's eyes narrowed and glittered, challenging them to try their best. "You can try, but I won't recommend that."

The man laughed once more and tipped his head towards one of his companions to send him to do the dirty work. His lackey was a stocky man with a wild tangle of dirty brown hair and a thick beard that was covered in dirt and food. He looked none too bright to Alanna, which was probably why he had been demoted to lackey. He was dressed in a thick fur lined coat but Alanna could see that he was well muscled underneath. She didn't care. If large idiots scared her she would never have made it to where she was. If he wanted to provoke her then she wouldn't stop him. It wasn't her fault that he didn't know this lioness could bite.

His mouth pulled into what was suppose to be an evil smile – his stained yellow teeth somehow ruined the effect – he reached forward towards Alanna. She didn't even give him the opportunity to touch her. In one swift movement she dug her elbow into his stomach, reached up with both hands to grasp him by the head before slamming it face first into the table. He dropped like a stone, out cold. Alanna lazily wiped two broken teeth from the table before returning her gaze to the rest of the men.

"You were saying?"

The man that was suppose to be in charge stared at Alanna in pure horror, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She could literally see him shaking in his boots. His cronies behind his weren't faring any better, all of them strategically hiding behind their so-called leader. Alanna had the distinct feeling that if she shouted "boo!" they would go running into the hills.

"N-nothing, we didn't say nothing! You just stay there, enjoy the fire, we'll go somewhere else!" Tripping over his words and his feet he turned and rushed out of the room twice as fast as he had entered it.

"Pathetic," Alanna muttered shaking her head. Either she was getting rowdy in her old age or the world was growing soft. People use to challenge her, physically and intellectually, but nowadays she was growing bored with it all. She needed something new to do and messing with Kel's life was only going to keep her busy for so long. She couldn't imagine something going wrong with the plan she had so carefully formulated. Well, she, Raoul and George had come up with the plan together but she was going to take the credit if, no, when, it succeeded. George was her husband and had absolutely no choice but to agree with everything she did and Raoul… well, she and Raoul were old friends, they understood each other. If she had to stoop to blackmail he knew she wouldn't be bluffing. It was nice knowing that she was fully in charge of her own world. Days like these she was glad she had never accepted Jon's proposal and become Queen. She would have permanently been in trouble, always been controlled and told to do the politically good thing, never been allowed to fight like the knight she was. Instead she would have been stuck inside making small talk and forced to converse with prudish old men and their stuffy old wives. Besides, the older she got the more she realised she and Jon would never have had a calm marriage. They fought constantly, about big things, about small things, even about things they had nothing to do with! She was happy she had picked George – or rather, she should say, he picked her. She was sure marriage to the Lioness was not the easiest task in the world, but George treated her with the same love and respect he had on the first day, even after all the years.

She sincerely hoped Kel and Dom would share the same sort of relationship. Every Lady Knight needed a strong and caring man standing behind them, and Alanna felt like the luckiest woman in the world for finding her perfect match.

If only she wasn't so bored with the monotonous way life was proceeding!

As if reading her thoughts George slid into the chair next to her. His careful hazel eyes studied the scene around his wife before he lifted one eyebrow. "Was all this really necessary love?"

Alanna studied the setting around her, a slight expression of mock surprise on her face as if it was the first time she had noticed the change. The man she had knocked unconscious was still laying there, his mouth slightly ajar to reveal at least four missing teeth. Lying scattered around him were those very teeth, each one in an individual direction from when Alanna had carelessly swept them from the table. The occupants on the tables around them had moved their tables and chairs as far away as they could possibly get from Alanna without actually sitting on their neighbours laps. Alanna looked up, her expression as innocent as a baby's.

"Would you believe me if I said he had had a little too much to drink and accidentally knocked his head on my table when he stumbled by?"

George wasn't stupid. "I don't see or smell ale Alanna."

Keeping her body perfectly still and moving only her arm, Alanna dumped her tankard of ale on the unconscious man's head. "You don't? How strange!"

George shook his head, trying to be stern, but smiling nether the less. "You'll never change lass." He murmured softly. Alanna wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult. "Are you bored again?" He knew he too well.

She sighed loudly as she thumped the tankard back on the table. "Is it that obvious?"

George laughed. "Lass, you look like you're ready to charge into the wilderness like a wild hippo. Something tells me the only thing stopping you is this blasted cold. I know you; you'd rather joust with Raoul than be caught in a storm."

"True, but only because I'd probably thumb Raoul in the joust. It's better to let him keep his pride and let him think he's the best."

George didn't even answer, just smiled and shook his head.

Alanna leaned back in her chair, wishing she could go visit the Bloody Hawk, her Bazhir tribe in the desert. It had been some time since she had been there and the warm desert would have been a welcome respite from the chilling cold. If George wasn't always so busy she would gladly drag him along as well. "Aren't you missing too much work staying here?" she asked the thief turned spy.

He shook his head. "Nah, winter's never the best time for spying anyway. Everyone wants to stay in warm castles and remain nice and toasty. Those in charge of spying on Maggur will probably remain there until there's sign of the army getting ready to move and not even he is crazy enough to send his troops out in this weather. Besides, I'm enjoying the time away with my wife too much."

Alanna smiled coyly. "Why George, if I didn't know any better I'd think you want something."

He reached out and captured one of her hands before laying a soft kiss on her palm. "All I want is your love lass. It's all I've ever wanted." As he kissed it for a second time the seat opposite them was suddenly occupied by a figure in a dark cloak. Alanna tugged her hand out of George's so hastily he almost fell forward off the chair.

"Colin," he murmured as he regained his balance.

The man lowered his hood and nodded in greeting. He was a young man, barely older than Kel, with untidy brown hair and stormy grey eyes. He looked too healthy for someone in such common cloths, his skin shining in wellbeing and his teeth a bright white. He didn't look like a man that could fit in almost anywhere and extract information from places and people other didn't even dare to dream about. He was the fourth son of a nobleman and had been brought to Myles when he had been only ten years old. His father had noticed his skills from a very early age, how he could steal anything he wanted from the kitchens without the cook noticing, how he could slip from the house without a single soul being the wiser and even how, despite only being ten, he could charm him way into anything he wanted. Myles had seen the potential in the boy too and had sent him to George to be trained. Alanna didn't think her adoptive father could ever have imagined what a great success the boy was destined to be.

"George, we have a major problem."

Both George and Alanna snapped to attention in an instant. Since Colin had currently been in charge of Kel's mission they both knew he wasn't playing around.

"What's the matter?" George's tone had gone from relaxed to businesslike in seconds.

"We have an intruder in the mission."

"An intruder, what does that mean?" Alanna couldn't stop herself from interrupting but George silenced further questions by placing his hand on her arm.

"Start at the beginning Colin," he requested.

The young man nodded. "This morning I went to see Stone to see what the status with the mission is. Stone is the man who's in charge of all the different undercover jobs we use in missions like this one and he's the only one who has any contact with the spies. He's the only one who knows there names and the roles they've been placed in." The extra information was for Alanna. "Yesterday he had received word that two of the spies – a couple – had been murdered and their identities assumed. Since Stone's the only person with contact with the spies – they don't even know who the other spies are – and he had let them assume the roles they wanted to instead of assigning roles to them, he had to get in contact with everyone he had sent in to figure out who the impostors were. He was awaiting three more answers when I arrived. He was willing to share them with me though and he waited for me to unsaddle my horse." Colin's face turned dark. "When I returned he was dead on the ground in front of his house, five arrows in his back.

George sucked in a breath. This was bad. "What about the information?"

Colin shook his head and tapped his skull. "All in there. He was a spy George, he burned everything the second he was finished with it. Just like you taught me to do."

George nodded. Alanna knew it was an action that kept spies safe countless times. Even she herself liked to burn letters so that unwanted hands did not get hold of them.

"This is bad," George's voice was soft as he spoke, "This is really bad. Kel and Dom's mission just went from a matchmaking scheme from heaven to a true spy mission from hell. As long as they stay near the right people they'll be safe, but if they've befriended the wrong people then things could take an ugly turn,"

Alanna frowned. "Kel isn't stupid George; she knows how to defend herself and thinks that this had been a dangerous mission all along. She won't be led astray that easily,"

"These are trained spies Alanna. Kel may be good, but I don't know if she'll expect one of the innocent villagers to be a deadly killer." He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He looked up at Alanna, saw the pleading in her eyes and took a decision he had known would be inevitable in case the mission went wrong all along. "Colin, I need you to travel to Corus and get Lord Raoul here. Tell him that a problem had arisen in the mission and that his help is needed straight away. Tell him we're moving on to phase B. He'll know what that means and what'll be expected of him. Don't be seen and return here straight afterwards, we might need your skills later." Colin nodded and with a swish of his cloak he was gone. Next George turned to his wife who was already smiling. "Pack your bags sweetheart," he said trying not to smile, "it's time to put that little trick up your sleeve into action,"

Alanna was out of her chair and racing up the stairs before George could even get up.

* * *

**Meanwhile Back in Darkwood…**

Dom never ever wanted to see another pile of snow. He had been stationed at the north edge of town, the side facing a large hill, and had spent the last six hours watching snow flakes fall to the ground and freeze his butt off. He almost wished someone would attack and put him out of his misery. He had joined the Own specifically so he didn't have to do lack witted dull jobs like this. If it hadn't been for Kel, and his own pride of course, he might have turned around and marched back to Corus after the first hour. Even being mauled by bandit along the road had to be more exciting than this.

He stretched his sore back. All he wanted now was a nice dinner, a warm bath and sleep. He didn't even mind sharing with Kel at this stage. If the mattress did this to his back he definitely didn't want to know what the sofa would do. Please please please don't let Sally or Grace – especially not Grace – be visiting. He didn't have the energy do deal with feminine gossip at this moment in time. He felt like he could drop dead on the floor as he pushed open the door and entered the house. He hoped dinner would be served soon and that the village was burned to the ground so he wouldn't have to suffer through another round watch duty. Maybe he would help set the fire. He dragged his weary body into the main room, rubbed his aching head, and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Kel was standing by the table dressed in the most scandalous, most delectable, most sexy dress he had ever seen her in. He felt his lips part in slight shock at the sigh, and could mentally see his eyes widen. Tiredness, his headache and his aching back all went zooming out the door in a hurry.

* * *

He hated it. He had to, why else would he staring at her like that. Kel knew she shouldn't have followed Sally's plan. She should have tried to fit through that window even if she had ended up getting stuck. At least then he wouldn't be looking at her with such a shocked expression. Maybe she should have drunk some more wine, Sally had certainly been eager to get her to drink as much as possible so she could 'relax', but it had only taken one swallow to realise the wine tasted like sawdust. That was the same swallow Kel had almost choked on. She would never ever have her first taste like that again. Sally had filled her glass to the brim and ordered Kel to drink before returning to the table to check the dinner that had just arrived. Kel took that opportunity to toss the contents of the glass out the nearest window. Sally, thinking she had downed the glass, left her on her own then, a happy smile spread across her lips.

Now Kel was beginning to wish she hadn't left so she could throttle her. She should have left things as they were. Why did she have to mess with something that hadn't even been wrong in the first place? She had to escape now.

"Kel?"

Dom's voice stopped that train of thought in its place. Kel couldn't raise her eyes to meet his. She knew he wanted to ask what was going on and there was no way she was going to be able to answer him if she looked him in the eye. "I'd had planned on us sharing a ro – eh, a dinner, but now I realise that might not be the best of ideas. I'm sorry Dom, I shouldn't have…" her voice cracked up, she couldn't go any further. Her mind was screaming one word: run! She turned to flee but before she could Dom caught her arm and turned her towards him.

"You planned a romantic dinner?" He sounded almost… happy? Kel looked up into his smiling face, his eyes filling with an emotion Kel couldn't even begin to figure out. Dom looked down at the dress, his gaze inspecting every inch of her. This was becoming a habit, Kel thought as turned a deep red. He was a master of making her feel like she was the most beautiful thing in the room by merely looking at her. What she wouldn't give to know what he was thinking. Dom smiled at her, the mysterious smile Kel was having such a hard time getting use to, and reached for Kel's hand before placing a silk soft kiss on it. "Why would that be a bad idea? I can't think of anything I'd like to do more." Kel could barely believe what was happening. It was like she was stuck in a nightmare that had suddenly turned into the most wonderful dream imaginable. Her need to run was slowly disappearing and being replaced by worries. Was this truly happening?

Sensing her insecurities Dom straightened and looked her deep in the eyes. He looked at her like she was the one thing he wanted the most in life, Kel realised with shock. Could that be? Almost as if to answer her question Dom leaned down but froze inches away from Kel's lips. Looking reluctant he pulled back. "If I do that now there's no way we're going to eat that dinner you took such care to have brought over. I'm afraid if I don't eat I'm not going to survive the night, Kel," he looked so apologetic Kel had to smile. Somehow she didn't think he was planning on leaving the romantic dinner, or the dress for that matter, there. She let him lead her to the table and into the closest chair. He pushed closer to the table, like a true gentleman, before getting a seat straight across the small table from her. "Wine,"

Kel cringed. "Eh, I think you may want to get rid of that. It tastes a bit like sawdust."

Dom looked at the bottle before taking a sip straight from the bottle itself. "Ugh, agreed." He pushed the bottle aside before grabbing a plate of food.

Kel slowly gathered her own plate. She needed to eat but for some reason she felt too nervous to eat, like something import was about to happen, she just didn't quite know what. She was busy picking at her food when she noticed the speed Dom was eating at. He wasn't really eating, more like wolfing his food down. "Dom, slow down, you're going to choke if you keep that up!"

Dom stopped only to grin at her. "I'm in quite a hurry, Kel my dear,"

Kel didn't need to think to understand what he meant. She forced herself to return to her food, sure that she would never get the chance to finish. She had barely forced down three bites when Dom was finished. He didn't even wait for her to finish, just as sure as she was that she wouldn't be able to finish. In the wink of an eye he was around the table and at Kel's side. Wrapping his arms around her waist he lifted her from her chair and onto her feet, pulling her tightly against him in the same move. And as easy as that he was kissing her, this time with no audience in sight. He wasn't kissing her to put on a show this time, but because he wanted to. And Kel wanted it more than she had ever imagined. She melted into his embrace, sucked into his passion which wasn't about to come to a halt anytime soon. Her mind spiralled off into some unused corned of her brain, every inch of her focused on the man making her feel like she had floating on a cloud of bliss. She had little experience with passion except for the few stolen kisses she had shared with Cleon but she knew this was something in a league all of its own. Everywhere she and Dom touched Kel felt like she was on fire. She didn't even notice when Dom picked her up and lifted her so that she sat on the table. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life. She felt Dom's hand slide down her sides, one moving to rest on her hip while the other moved to the back of her dress and started pulling apart the fastenings. Kel didn't even dream of stopping him, her love for Dom as inevitable as her hate for Blayce had been. He had just managed to pull the fastenings free when the door suddenly burst open. Pulling apart in shock they stared at the door in horror as Alanna the Lioness walked inside. She didn't seem to mind the position she had found them in, in fact it seemed to have quite the opposite effect.

She was grinning broadly as she threw open her arms in welcome. "Robert," she cried happily, "come give your mother a hug!"

* * *

**Haha, you didn't expect that, did you?**

**So, what do you think? Love it, hate it, want to hit Alanna over the head with your shoe? I know I do!**

**Who do you think the villain is?**

**Show you care and please leave a review! =)**

**As a treat I'll try and update on Christmas!**

**F²**


	10. 10: Mother and Father

**First things first squeal with happiness! Thanks sooooo much for the reviews guys! It helped so much during the last week to know you guys liked the story. I had planned on having this chapter up by Christmas but I hit one of those huge unexpected problems – I had absolutely NO idea what to write next. When I started this chapter my mind said Blank. At least now I hit some inspiration and can give you a chapter for New Year instead of Christmas. Hope you enjoy it! No, I did not just write it to give you something, so don't just assume that! I did put some real thought into this chaper! =)**

**Thanks once more to everyone who added my story to their alerts and favourites.**

**And my definite favourite people: the reviewers! ****Aria657****, ****m0rganosity****, ****spazzysassyangel****, ****RealGirlsHaveCurves****, ****GreenQueen615****, ****alykat23****, ****TopazDragon****, ****TheWackedOne****, ****EpsilonTheta****, ****stormwinglover****, ****Blackdraumdancer****, ****Sith's Shadow****, ****BMX Princess****, ****TwilightBrightStar****, ****Sora Ajax****, ****Knight-Em****, ****youjustgotSTORMed****,**** Susyq (Thanks so much! I knew from a few chapters ago that this had to be Alanna's plan – it just seemed like the perfect plot twister – and when she burst in there it just seemed like something she should say), somebody's sister (Super thanks for the review. Secret, I absolutely adore Alanna and George too so this truly is a cameo they deserve. Plus it's fun torturing Dom), somebody (Thanks so much! If only all my updates were so fast. Unfortunately since University starts at the end of the month they may actually start to take even longer. I'll try though!) and BLANK (Ah, thank you thank you thank you! =) )**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Mother and Father**

Kel could have died from embarrassment right there and then. There were hundreds of ways she could have imagined the night would end up but she could whole heartedly say this had not been one of them. She opened her mouth to say something – anything but sitting there like she'd swallowed her tongue – but nothing she did could force words from her mouth. Her mind was screaming, partly telling her to run and hide, partly telling her to toss Alanna straight out the door and into the snow. Whatever she did, it was to late now. Her plan was completely and utterly ruined. She could have sobbed at the mere thought. All that work for nothing. She spared a quick glance at Dom who looked just as ruffled as she felt. Well, almost for nothing.

Dom managed to find his tongue before she did. "What are you doing here?"

Alanna clicked her tongue like a mother scolding her naughty child. "Now now Robert, that's no way to speak to your mother," Her tone was reprimanding but Kel caught the hint of mirth in it.

Kel was glad she thought the situation was funny; she herself was turning a bright shade of red as she scrambled down from the table and pulled the white dress' neckline up until it came to her chin. It was a long dress and she would rather have Alanna catching sight of her legs than her breasts. Dom caught on with alarming speed and, before Kel could even remember how far things had progressed, tightened the dress at the back.

"I didn't mean to sound rude _Mother_," he rolled to word for exaggeration, "but your visit is a bit of a surprise. I'm sure all of us learned how to write a nice piece of warning called a note."

Alanna waved off the idea. "Nonsense, the two of you are married, what else would I expect to find?" There was a hint in her tone that Kel couldn't miss. She was convinced that somehow Alanna had known all along that this was exactly what was going to happen – or would have happened if the knight hadn't just burst into their home unannounced.

Dom was more than willing to play her game. "That's an excellent question, _Mother_, what were you expecting to find?"

Alanna crossed her arms in mock dismay. "I don't like your tone, young man,"

Noticing the villagers standing outside the door, Dom grinned and moved forward to dutifully give her a hug. Alanna was playing her role like a professional, fake tears gleaming in her eyes as she embraced her loving son. Kel, slowly getting over her surprise and disappointment, was beginning to see the amusing side to the situation, especially when Alanna refused to let go.

"Oh, how I missed you, my dear boy," Dom looked more than slightly uncomfortable, "I can't believe you're all grown up and married, and to such a nice girl!" Dom tried to pry her off but Alanna was having too much fun. Suddenly she stepped backwards, peered around Dom's shoulder at Kel, and smiled wickedly. "Go help your father with the bags."

Dom managed to get out, "My father?" before Alanna shoved him out the door and slammed it shut in his face. Kel knew she was going to have to explain what Alanna had just seen. They were supposed to be playing an undercover role after all, not sharing romantic dinners and 'frolicking about'. No wait, that didn't sound right, but Kel couldn't even mentally force herself to call it anything else.

As Kel gathered her thoughts Alanna ensured the door was firmly closed before turning to the young knight. "We have a problem," Her voice was a soft whisper, loud enough for Kel alone to hear, confirming that the problem had something to do with the mission. The only problem Kel could think about was what Alanna had just walked in on.

She took a deep breath. "Look Alanna, I can explain…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt Kel, but we have a real problem," Alanna interrupted smoothly, her eyes scanning the room like she expected a team of assassins to suddenly jump out from behind the couch. She looked worried about something, Kel realised. This wasn't a prank they were trying to pull or Alanna checking up on them, but a true problem.

"What's wrong Alanna?" Kel could hear the worry in her voice but didn't even try to reprimand herself for it. If Alanna the Lioness was worried about something then there was real trouble about. Kel had only seen that expression a few times on the older knight's face and every single one of those times had been in the middle of the war against Scanra. Alanna knew how to hide her worry when the need came, and the times she showed it usually meant that she was too overwhelmed to do so.

Alanna hesitated. She wasn't sure exactly what she should reply, but one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to tell Kel the truth. She had planned on doing so on the ride to Darkwood, had told George not to say anything because this was her mess to clean up, but the second she had entered the house and seen the success her plan had brought she had changed her mind. She wasn't going to burst Kel's love bubble right now, not when she could leave it in place and convince the young woman to follow her heart eventually. Alanna could honestly say she had never expected her plan to prove successful so soon, but now that it had she was going to have to let it proceed into true triumph.

She and George were going to have to find the villains, get rid of them, and get out of here as soon as possible so they could leave Dom and Kel to finish what they had started earlier that night. She wasn't too worried about George's reaction. He would be unhappy about it, of course, but he'd do it for Alanna.

And if he wouldn't, well, there were ways to force him to listen. She wasn't the King's champion because she looked good riding a horse. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't so sure she did look good riding a horse in the first place.

What was she going to tell Kel? She needed to know it was dangerous but on the other hand Alanna couldn't go into specifics without telling her about the plan. She was going to have to compromise.

"We've been discovered. Well, not really discovered, but the men in charge have found out about the spies we originally sent to watch the town and have retaliated. They knew something was wrong so they sent two of their own spies to act as villagers and determine what we're after. The only problem is we have no idea who they are or what they look like, all we know is that they're deadly. On the other hand, they don't know we aren't who we say we are." Alanna almost surprised herself by how efficiently she could lie. It seemed like all the times she and Raoul had made up to avoid social functions were finally becoming useful.

Kel could feel her eyes widen in surprise and slight disbelief. There were two deadly spies living amongst them? She had to admit, that came as a bit of a surprise. The village had felt a little weird from the start but all the people had been perfectly normal. Some a little well off, maybe, but normal nether the less. Sure some were crazy – Grace was the first to come to mind here – or maybe a little creepy – Marcus, the man in charge, fit in that category – but that was normal in any village. Every village or town had the people who were a little different or extravagant, but that didn't automatically make them super killers!

"Are you sure of that?" Kel asked curiously.

"You and Dom are still alive aren't you? In my mind that gives us two options: either they don't know who you two really are or they don't see you as a threat. Pick your favourite,"

Kel saw her point. If they had known who they were they would have had plenty of time to get rid of them. She had spent the entire day running around in broad daylight – well, as much daylight as you could get when it snowed – and Dom had been on duty. Easy picking honestly. She hadn't really been in the village all too long, but she hadn't really seen anything out of the ordinary. Except…

"There's something you should know about Alanna. Last night when Dom and I were heading off to dinner we came across someone dressed entirely in black. I tried to follow him but he disappeared into the darkness. You don't think it could have been one of the spies?"

To Kel surprise she saw a slight flush spread across Alanna's cheeks. Once more she had the feeling that she knew something she wasn't sharing.

"It could be." Alanna tried to sound worried but Kel wasn't buying it. She knew more about this person than she was letting on and no matter what she said Kel was sticking to her decision. "But even if it wasn't we should see this as a warning to be careful. From now on you're not to leave the house without Dom, George or myself with you."

Kel felt her lips part in surprise. "You brought your husband along?"

Alanna waved a hand nonchalantly. "Of course. I'm supposed to be a commoner remember? Have you ever heard of a woman of the lower class travelling all alone?" She didn't even wait for an answer. "No, of course you haven't! Plus, this way I don't have to take care of all the unpacking or the horses. I'm on holiday for the period of time I'm here and I plan on enjoying it. If only this blasted cold would go away!" She snuggled deeper into her fur lined coat and moved away from the door. Without waiting for an invitation she grabbed Kel's wine glass from the table and sat down on one of the sofa chairs. Sitting back with a sigh she brought the glass to her lips.

Suddenly remembering how bad the wine tasted Kel opened her mouth to warn Alanna, but it was too late. Looking like she was about to choke, Alanna spat the foul tasting excuse for wine back into the glass.

"Glad to know my husband comes from a family with such impeccable manners," Kel said dryly.

Alanna glared at her but was to busy trying to get rid of the horrible taste to reply. Taking pity on her friend Kel retrieved the jug of water and a glass from the bedroom and handed it to Alanna, who accepted it gratefully.

"So," Kel went on as Alanna took a deep swallow, "what's the cover?"

Alanna didn't need to ask what she meant. "You know by now that George and I are playing Dom's parents. Since your father was against the marriage at first we thought George didn't really suit the role. Most people don't really expect him to be able of doing half the things he can, so that doesn't automatically equal 'evil father'. I may still be able to pass as an 'evil mother' – I'm sure my daughter would agree – but it seemed like more fun to torture Dom a little." Remembering the expression on his face when Alanna had shoved him out the door, Kel couldn't agree more. "You are to call us Mother and Father – and please don't laugh when you do so," Kel wished she knew how Alanna knew that had been the first thing she had wanted to do. "But to the rest of the village we'll be David and Emily Winters."

Kel couldn't stop herself from smiling in response. "I assume you're David and George is Emily?"

Alanna simply shook her head. "You know it. I always thought I made a good David. Why I settled on Alan I'll never know."

"I must say, I'm almost surprised you didn't pretend to be my father,"

Alanna expression turned evil. "Oh, I wouldn't do that," Kel couldn't help but feel that Alanna hadn't finished that sentence. "But we're getting off topic."

"I wasn't aware there was a topic,"

"There is. George – I mean Emily," she gave a playful wink, "and I am here to try and uncover these spies so that you and Dom can deal with the rest of the mission in peace. Then you guys can go back to," she cleared her throat, "more important matters."

Kel turned bright red once more. Alanna wasn't going to forget what she saw anytime soon and judging by her actions she wasn't going to let either Kel or Dom forget it either. Her only solution was to make sure Alanna was so completely occupied that she didn't have the time to make suggestive hints. The only question was how?

"Since the two of you have only been here for two days I assume you haven't met that many people. We'll have to rectify that. While Dom works and George does – whatever he does to get information, we'll be off meeting the female population of the town. We know the spies are acting as a couple, so if we find her, we'll find him."

Kel frowned. She had never been one for meeting people. She couldn't help but feel people liked to judge too soon when they met someone, but it seemed like she had little choice in the matter. "Wouldn't you rather take Dom? I'm sure he'll enjoy it a lot more than me."

Alanna shook her head. "Don't even say that Sarah. I'm a mother! I still like to believe my son thinks girls are scary and disgusting,"

"Despite him being married?"

"I'm married and I'm still scary and disgusting."

Kel had no reply to that so she simply laughed. "Okay Mother, my life is in your hands. When does the torture begin?"

Alanna's head turned towards the door. "As soon as the men are finished unpacking. I would have made it sooner but I'm afraid they'll ask me for help if I dare stick even my nose out of the door." She held up a finger to silence Kel. "And don't call me lazy. I'm just aware that I can manipulate others to do things so that I don't have to,"

"I'm not going to argue with that," Kel smiled before snuggling back into the comfortable chair.

* * *

"How did she manage to fit all this onto one horse?" Dom exclaimed as George dumped the first two cloth bags into his arms. He was surprised the horse hadn't died of a heart attack halfway to the village. The bags were heavy! Alanna was a knight for goodness sake, didn't she ever learn to pack light?

"You know your mother, Rob," George replied wrestling two more bags from the horse's back. "She always did know how to pack for an army,"

Literally. The only problem was, this wasn't for an army, this was for two people.

"Ah and here's my bag." George pulled out another bag less than half the size of the other bags.

Correction, make that one person.

"What did she even pack? Next year's harvest?"

George shrugged. "Oh, you know, trinkets, souvenirs, cute things you gave her when you were a baby,"

Okay, now Dom knew he was lying. Mostly because he hadn't known Alanna when he had been a baby and would have probably run for the hills if he had. Dom turned his head slightly to the side so that he could see behind him out of the corner of his eye. A few villagers were nearby grooming some of the horses. Whatever was truly in these bags, George obviously didn't want them to know about it. Setting down the bags close by, Dom grab a brush and quickly set to work rubbing down the horses. While he cleaned Alanna and George's horses, George finished unpacking and brushed down the pack horse. Working together they managed to finish a lot quicker than Dom had originally expected. The time spent doing so gave Dom the time to examine the man playing his father carefully. He had met Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop plenty of times before when he and Alanna had ridden with Lord Raoul. He knew he was a quiet man with exceptional skills in easily seeing what others overlooked. He was also an excellent fighter, something Dom had learned firsthand when they had been ambushed by a Scanra raider party. If he and Alanna had felt the need to come personally then something had to be seriously wrong. Although, he had to admit, the baron had an exceptional gift of fitting in. If he hadn't known who he really was then he would never have guessed that he was anything more than hardworking man of the lower class.

Looks could certainly be deceiving.

"Come on son, I think the lasses will be missing us," Ensuring the horses were secured in the stables, he picked up one of Alanna's bags and his own, leaving the two extra heavy bags for Dom to carry.

This was becoming a habit, Dom thought dryly as he squatted to pick up the bags. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed like everyone around him was beginning to take advantage of him. Then again, this was all for Kel, every hour spent boring himself to death on watch duty, every extra job he was forced to do, every insult Grace threw at him – though this one didn't hurt all that much – all of it was for Kel. And he honestly didn't mind doing it for her. He would keep his thoughts to himself and grin and bear it for as long as Kel wanted him to.

He felt a goofy grin spread across him face, but couldn't care all too much. Minus the little interruption things were progressing at a very good pace. Okay, maybe calling Alanna and George a little interruption wasn't that accurate.

Big, maybe. Catastrophic, definitely.

By the time they reached the house Dom felt like his arms were perilously close to falling off. If he wasn't a teeny bit afraid of Alanna he would have dumped the entire lot of it unceremoniously on the floor. Instead he gently placed it on the table. As he turned he saw Alanna warn George about something with her eyes but she saw him looking and suddenly got up.

"George, could I see you outside for a second?" Just as she had done with Raoul, she didn't even wait for an answer. Instead she grabbed her husband by the arm and propelled him out of there like the house was on fire.

Dom turned to Kel, his mouth curving into a grin as he saw her cheeks flush bright red. So he wasn't the only one stuck in the memory of their passionate kiss after all. If he hadn't feared Alanna interrupting them a second time he would have hurried right over to Kel's side and started all over again. Instead he positioned himself behind the sofa opposite Kel's. If he was overcome with the sudden urge to sweep her off her feet this time, he'd have to scramble over the chair first. Hopefully that would give him enough time to get to his senses. If not, well, he could always play the 'but I'm your son!' defence card now.

"So," Strangely enough this was awkward. Too awkward. "Alanna must have an important reason to be here without any warning right?"

Kel nodded, unable to look him in the eye. "She does. Didn't George fill you in?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Unfortunately we had a crowd watching our every move the entire way. The all agree I get my good looks from my father as I don't have red hair and I'm not freakishly short,"

The managed to get a small smile out of Kel. "Don't let the Lioness hear you. I don't think she'll take too kindly to being called 'freakishly short'."

Dom shrugged. "She'll live. Oh, I can already see it. The whole 'I birthed you young man, don't use that tone with me' speech my mother gives me each time I refuse to dance with the neighbour's daughter. Although it might be a little more awkward for both me and Lady Alanna if she does give it to me," As Kel nodded stiffly, Dom decided to switch topics. "What reason did she give for charging in here?"

Kel finally forced her eyes up to his, her expression turning from embarrassment to worry. "They received word that whoever is in charge of this plot we're suppose to stop got wind that something isn't right so he sent in two spies to discover what's going on. Our luck is that they have no idea we're the people they're looking for. Unfortunately, we don't know who they are either. Alanna's already made plans for us to meet the entire female half of the village so that we can determine who it is. If she gets her way we'll leave as soon as she and George return."

Dom mirrored Kel's frown. "This is turning into a bigger mess by the second."

Kel nodded, her eyes once more turning to the ground. This was going to have to stop, Dom couldn't take it anymore. He wished he could invent a device that could read people's minds so that he could see what Kel was thinking. Was she regretting that things had ever happened or was she sorry that something hadn't happened because of Alanna's interruption like he was?

"Look Kel, about tonight…"

"I know Dom, it shouldn't have happened. We're in the middle of a mission and things are dangerous enough as it is and…"

Surprisingly enough it wasn't that hard to get over the chair. Dom clasped a hand over her mouth before she could continue, stopping her babbling before she managed to convince him or herself. "Kel, maybe you should let me finish before you assume things. I was about to say that I should have said thank you and that we should have done this a long time ago. Tonight was perfect, even if Lady Alanna did ruin the mood by arriving when she did. I'm quite lucky to have someone as amazing as you in my life," Before she could answer, before she could even think to disagree, he lowered him mouth to hers in a fiery kiss that he sincerely hoped would take away any of the doubts she had. She responded in a way only Kel could, with innocence and shyness, but with determination and heart mixed in as well. Dom was reluctant to pull away, his heart begging him to linger a little longer, but his head knowing that Alanna and George could enter any second and that it would only embarrass Kel if they did.

Kel looked up at him, her dreamer's hazel eyes shining with an emotion Dom couldn't place for the life of him. As Dom sat down on the arm rest of her chair, she leaned forward and momentarily rested her head against his chest, her arms wrapping around him. "I'm sorry if this sounds offensive," her voice was a soft whisper, "but this whole situation is confusing the living daylight out of me. If this was a war I'd know what to do, but I can honestly say, as bad as this sound, that I have no idea how to be a normal woman,"

Dom pulled her close. "Who wants to be normal Kel? It's so much more fun being extraordinary,"

"I guess," She raised her head, her eyes staring directly into his, and Dom could help but steal another kiss. "As much as I hate to say this, that's going to have to stop. Alanna and George can't see us acting in any way except professional during this mission Dom. We have a duty to fulfil and that should be our first priority."

Dom nodded in agreement, his movement slow and disappointed. Not because of what Kel said, but because he realised what she said was true. "So in other words, we have to find these spies as soon as possible so we can get rid of Alanna?"

He'd made Kel smile again. "That's one way to put it,"

Dom paused as a sudden idea hit him. "Wait, you said you have to interview the entire female population of the village right?" Kel nodded, confused. Dom smile turned evil. "Well, I think we're about to get our revenge for her bad timing. I know who you should introduce her to first."

* * *

"Alanna, you can't keep playing around with people's lives like this," George had to admit, he had known Alanna would do anything to make this mission a success, but he really hadn't expected her to put them in danger just because of it.

Alanna sighed in exasperation. "They're not in danger George, they know that these spies are dangerous, they just don't know that there are about eleven other spy couples in the village as well."

He wouldn't win. When Alanna had her mind set on something it was like trying to move a boulder, she wouldn't budge even if you had superhuman power. He was use to it by now, one couldn't be married to Alanna for so many years without accepting it eventually, but that didn't mean he was any less worried. This could go wrong so easily that he wasn't sure it was worth it to take the chance. She was giving him the sad eyed expression, trying to convince him that she was right and that he knew it.

"Come on George, you're like the master spy of them all. Surely they won't be in danger with you here?" Just like Alanna to try and soften him up.

"I don't know how good these people are Alanna. For all I know they could make me look like an amateur." He sighed. "But I'll play alone. Just as long as you agree that if anything comes close to going wrong we'll tell them the truth and all leave before things really get ugly."

Alanna nodded vigorously. "Okay, thank you George!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. "You won't regret this, I promise!"

"I hope you're right Alanna,"

She stepped back looking sceptical. "What can go wrong? Look, two three days and 'backup' will be here. Everything will be fine, just watch and see."

* * *

By the time Alanna and George headed back inside the house Kel and Dom were sitting on the two sofas opposite each other. Kel hoped they didn't notice the blush she could feel creeping across her cheeks. What was wrong with her, she never blushed! And now she was doing it every few seconds like some proper lady who's only use was to bare children for her husband. Okay, since she was now supposed to be married to Dom, this only made her blush harder. Strange how for the first time in her life baring children didn't sound like it would be such a chore. No, she couldn't think that way. This was pretend, not real life! She would have to watch herself.

"Ready to go?" She asked Alanna.

Alanna nodded, but George shook his head. "Oh no you don't, you two can start tomorrow morning. It's too dangerous in the dark, and besides, normal people want to sleep now,"

Translation: he and Alanna were tired, even if they didn't want to say so.

"I guess sleep would be good," Kel agreed, "But, how exactly are we going to do that,"

"The normal way?" Dom hinted.

Kel ignored him. "It's just that there's only one bed in the house. Would you two like to take it?"

Alanna turned to look at George who shook his head. "No, you two ladies take it. Dom and I will be true gentlemen and sleep on the sofas."

Dom nodded in agreement but Kel heard him mutter 'goodbye back' as she headed off to her room. She was sure she wouldn't be able to sleep, the excitement of the day still to fresh on her mind. Yet after getting dressed, cleaning her teeth and slipping under the bed sheets Kel found her eyes drooping. She had barely closed her eyes when she fell asleep.

* * *

Outside, his body camouflaging perfectly with the dark, a figure carefully studied the house. More people were going to make this job a lot more difficult. He silently stole around the house, checking every nook and cranny for some way to enter undetected but there was none. He was almost a hundred percent sure these were the people they were looking for. He had seen her rush around all day, watched that innocent smile gathering what she needed. She was going to be easy to get rid off. He couldn't see her or her husband putting up much of a fight. He didn't know who they were, but he knew that unless they were very good at hiding their true identities they would never be a match for his skills. Ending up where he had started, he stopped. He would give them a few nights to get comfortable because he didn't see any need to rush. Grinning he disappeared into the darkness. This was going to be far too easy.

* * *

**This was a difficult chapter for me – lesson = learn to plan ahead – so once more I would really appreciate reviews =)**

**Let's see whose smart enough to figure this one out: What is Alanna's 'back up'? Clue: I may or may not have hinted at it in the last two chapters.**

**Hope everyone has a super 2011!**

**F²**


	11. 11: Surprises

**Hey guys! With this update I have three things I have to apologise for: firstly for the time it took to update, secondly for the shortness of the chapter and lastly for the fact that I haven't written each of the reviewers a private letter of thanks. I'll do it as soon as I have any time, and let me warn you right now, time is not something I really have now. Thus the length and the time taken to update. I hope you enjoy it, and as always reviews and comments will really be appreciated!**

**Warning: the T rating does come into play a little in this chapter (depends on your view of T. If the rating is incorrect PLEASE warn me!)**

**Thanks to everyone who added this story to favourites and alerts!**

**As always, super thanks to the reviewers! Promise I'll write that letters soon!: **Aria657, **m0rganosity****, ****RealGirlsHaveCurves****, ****stormwinglover****, somebody's sister (Thanks so much. Sorry for the long wait. Had camp then getting ready for the my first year at Uni, then all the extra things that came with being a first year at Uni so haven't had all too much time for myself the last while. Promise the next update will be sooner.), somebody (Thank you! Hope you like the what happens in this chapter!), ****spazzysassyangel****, EmiRose (Hehe, there might be a little surprise for you in this chapter), ****riariaria****, ****GreenQueen615****, ****TheWackedOne****, ****Knight-Em****, Kes (Thank you so so so much! Your words really mean a lot! I'm so glad you found my words persuasive and did not simply think I'm a nut and move on. I am a nut but it's still nice that you left a review! Thanks once more!), ****FLPotter Girl****, ****TwilightBrightStar****, ****Mythical Words**** and thayet9 (Thank you soooo much)**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Surprises**

Kel had never possessed any shape or form of magic, no unbelievable ability to hurl fire, no extraordinary gift for healing and definitely no powers of sensing people, but at that moment she was serious wondering if she had a sixth sense because she could feel a pair of eyes on her. At first she had thought she was simply being paranoid, but the feeling was persistently pressing, refusing full-hearted to disappear.

She both felt and heard a breath of air being exhaled above her and in a state of half panic half shock her eyes flew open. Her sleep filled hazel eyes met a pair of purple ones as a fully dressed Alanna loomed over her.

"Time to get up my dear daughter-in-law," her voice betrayed her tiredness and her unspoken wish to be able to return to bed and sleep further. "Lift your lazy behind, we have work to do. I haven't eaten anything but travel bread since yesterday, so George and I will meet you in the mess hall," Kel didn't even have time to sit up before Alanna was gone.

Well, if Alanna didn't want her help then Kel wasn't going to force it on her. Although, it was pretty suspicious that the older knight didn't need Kel's help to get to her breakfast. Rubbing her eyes Kel pushed the thought away. She had plenty of time to worry about small details when she was fully awake, which certainly wasn't at that moment. She couldn't believe she was so tired, she hadn't even done that much the last few days. Al she had done was travel for a few days, unpack, run after the things needed for her plan, avoid Grace and pretend to be someone she wasn't. Compared to her daily routine at New Hope it really wasn't that much at all.

The though almost made her homesick. She wandered what everyone back home was up to. Was Neal doing a good job at running the fort? Was Yuki fitting in? Was Tobi staying out of trouble and taking good care of Jump, Peachblossom and Hoshi? Were the sparrows being fed?

She shook her head sharply. No, she wasn't going to let her mind wonder in that direction. She was going to shove it aside like a proper Yamani and focus on the matter ahead. One step at a time.

A loud yawn escaped her as she sat up and stretched out her arms, carefully working out any stiffness. It was one of the many disadvantages Kel had discovered came with being a knight. They were forever fighting and going to war meaning that there was almost no chance at all that they wouldn't get various wounds from the battles. Overused and wounded limbs tended to get sore and stiff, especially in the early morning air. Kel stretched her shoulders backwards, flexing her back in the same movement. Dear word, what did these people stuff their mattresses with? Kel felt like she had spent the entire night sleeping on a stone – in fact a stone may have been more comfortable. How had she not noticed it before? She had slept there the night before, and all she remembered was sleeping like a log, no care for comfort in sight. Then again – she felt herself colour slightly – she had spent the majority of that night snuggled up tightly against her pretend husband. Snuggling up to her pretend mother-in-law would never have the same appeal.

Regretfully pulling the covers aside, Kel forced her weary body out of bed, yelping in surprise as her feet touched the cold floor.

"Cold, cold, cold," Kel muttered as she hightailed towards the changing area when her eyes suddenly fell on the chair Dom was sleeping on through the open door. Alanna appeared to have forgotten to close it when she left earlier. Dom legs were sprawled over the side of the chair, his head half resting on the other. His lips were etched into a tight frown as his body automatically stirred to try and find comfort.

Guilt instantly flooded Kel. Here she was complaining about having to sleep on a hard bed while Dom was forced to sleep on a chair that was far too small and probably felt like a real stone. And he was the working one of them!

Kel paused as an idea hit her. Dom would be working that afternoon so there was no reason he had to get up now, and she and Alanna would spend the majority of the day 'meeting' her neighbour so they wouldn't be home either. Dom would have the house to himself until that afternoon which meant there was absolutely no reason for her to leave him uncomfortable.

Kel took a step towards the door before she remembered she was dressed in her nightdress, not the most decent clothing to be seen in by a man that was not truly her husband. Sucking in a breath Kel chose to ignore that fact. Dom was fast asleep anyway and would most likely not even notice her attire.

She strode forward, stepping around to stand in front of Dom's sleeping form. He looked even more uncomfortable from this side. Dom had a tall and lean build with muscles honed from hours of work in the King's Own, not exactly the best for squeezing into such a tiny chair. His face was still turned into a frown, his jaw clenched and his hands fisted as his body tried to fit by laying in a half foetal position. He stirred again, mumbling incoherent words as he resumed the search for comfort. Kel's feeling of guilt ten folded and with a sense of great sympathy she reached out a hand to wake him.

"Dom?" Her touch was light, trying to wake him but also feeling regretful that she had to interrupt his much needed sleep. Dom didn't even stir. Kel touch became a little firmer but when he remained motionless she added a half desperate shake. He came awake with a start, his sleep filled eyes instantly finding Kel. He gazed up at her, his eyes still unfocused yet he recognised her.

"Kel?"

She reached out and captured one of his hands. "Come on, the bedroom's all yours. It'll definitely be more comfortable than the chair."

Like a zombie newly woken from the dead Dom rose and followed Kel as she led him back to the bedroom. Despite the fact that he was on his feet and walking, Kel doubted that he was truly in the land of wakefulness yet. His eyes were too glassy and his movements slow and unsure. The back pain could also be a reason for that, but then Dom would have hidden it so that Kel couldn't see it. Men and their stubborn pride. When they reached the bed Dom practically fell on top of it, his weight creating a deep curve in the straw stuffed mattress. With his face buried in the pillows Dom once more commenced his trip to dreamland. Kel shook her head, a small smile curving her lips. She turned to head behind the screen and get dressed when Dom's hand suddenly shot out and clasped firmly around her wrist. With one effortless pull he yanked her towards him. With a yelp of surprise Kel went down, landing squarely on top of Dom. Eyes wide in astonishment as she planted her arms on the mattress, she scrambled wildly to try and regain her balance. Before she managed to do so however Dom rested a hand on back of her head, soft but firm at the same time, and pulled her down until her lips met his. Kel froze, torn between pulling back because she knew he wasn't awake and using the chance she was given and pulling him closer. Dom made the decision for her when he suddenly dropped his hand from her head and wrapped both of his arms around her waist. With a quick flip he deposited her on her back, pinning her down on the mattress with his own body. She tried to voice her displeasure of being held down but was once more interrupted when Dom claimed her lips with his. It was a surprisingly easy for her mind to forget about escaping when that happened. Kel should have felt ashamed of how easy it was for Dom to interrupt her thoughts – except at that time she was having a little difficulty thinking of anything at all. Except maybe of how nice it was that a morning that had seemed so bad was actually ending up having a lot of potential.

Dom let out a groan, giving Kel mere seconds to capture a breath of fresh air before returning for more. Kel knew she should stop things before they got any further, Dom was asleep after all and it felt a tiny bit like she was taking advantage of him – funny as that sounded. Except – except she didn't seem to be able to stop. As wrong as it was, it felt right. Please, please, please let Alanna stay at the mess hall and not wonder why she was taking so long, Kel silently pleaded as Dom deepened the kiss. As it seemed to always be doing nowadays, Kel's resistance melted away. Instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, finally returning the kiss fully. Just as it had the night before her mind was overwhelmed with passion, nothing but Dom existed, nothing but the way he was making her feel. She felt his hand sliding up her leg and finding the edge of her nightdress, slowly moving up until it reached a hand span above her knee where it suddenly halted. Dom tore his mouth from hers and rose on his arms, his eyes staring down at her in confusion indicating that the change of events had finally woken him from his slumber.

"Kel?" he asked quietly, his voice and expression unsure. His breath was already a little faster, just as Kel's was.

There were two things Kel knew she could do at that moment. The first was to apologize, jump of the bed, get dressed and get out of there as quick as she could. The second – she took a chance, grabbing his head and dragging him back. He resisted at first, surprised at her movement, but the second he realised what she was doing the resistance vanished, instead replaced by a new enthusiasm the sleepy Dom could never have mustered. Suddenly he was that much closer, his kiss that much more passionate, fuelled by the same need that seemed to be consuming Kel. One hand moved to cup her chin to allow him full access to her mouth while the other one skipped its previous resting place above her knee to continue upwards, taking the cloth with it. Kel's own hands reached for the bottom of Dom's shirt – if he was allowed to try and remove clothing, so was she. He pulled back, allowing her to yank the shirt over his head before returning to business. Kel's hands explored his muscled back, finding scars she never knew existed. He may not be a knight like her but that didn't mean he didn't mean he didn't have his own battle wounds. As a sergeant in the King's Own he would have had more than his fair share of battles.

"Kel," his voice was hoarse against her mouth, "are you sure?"

She wasn't anything at that moment, but she knew that wherever this was heading wasn't something she would ever live to regret. Not that Dom was letting go, despite his question it seemed that the only way he would pull back was if she said 'no'. Instead she simply wrapped her arms around his back and pulling his as close as she could. With an almost primitive groan Dom hand let go of her chin and used both of them to grab the edge of her nightgown and in one quick movement he yanked it over her head.

Kel would have thought she would have been overcome with the urge to cover herself, but the small smile and look of appreciation in Dom's eyes set her instantly at ease. Lowering his head for one more soft kiss, he suddenly flipped her around so that he was at the bottom and she was on top.

"My back's not going to survive for much longer." He said with a boyish grin. What he said was probably true but Kel knew there was more to it. By putting her on top he was giving her the option to stop if she wasn't one hundred percent sure. The thought alone that he cared enough to do that already convinced her that she was sure that she wanted to stay.

"Let's test that theory," she whispered in his ear.

His mouth pulled into a broad grin and his hands reached for her, when there was a loud bang on the outside door.

Dom groaned loudly. "Alanna's back,"

His words were followed by another loud bang. Kel sat up in surprise. That didn't sound like a knock. It sounded like someone was trying to break down the door! Dom must have noticed it too because he followed Kel up, battling to soften his breathing so he could hear what was going on. Another bang came followed by what was unmistakably the sound of wood breaking. Dom was up in a flash, Kel had to find her nightgown before she could do the same. It didn't matter what was going on, she didn't think they wanted to be greeted by the sight of her bare breasts. She had just managed to find the damn cloth and pull it over her head when the front door was thrown open with such force that it slammed into the wall. With lightning speed her eyes scanned the room, searching for something to fend off the attacker with.

* * *

Dom had barely made it out of the bedroom when the front door burst open. In the doorway stood a figure dressed fully and completely in black. He was taller and more solidly build than Dom, making him one heck of a dangerous opponent. In his hands he held a broadsword the size of Alanna. His fists were covered in blood, indicating they were the weapon he had used against the door. Dom couldn't see his face but he was letting out an air that was overwhelmed with anger. Dom quickly grabbed the door behind him and shut it, hiding Kel from the stranger's eyes.

The man stood there for a minute, his eyes locked on Dom as he rubbed his bleeding knuckles on his cloak. Dom wasn't sure if this was to frighten him, because honestly, the fact that he could break down a door with his bare hands was already scary enough. He didn't need the extra hint.

"Traitor!" the man shouted suddenly, his voice gruff and hard.

Dom didn't know what he was talking about, but he didn't think the man was going to give him the chance to explain, especially considering he was already rushing towards him, his sword brandished high in the air. Dom dodged the first blow, jumping aside as the sword sliced through the air in a cut that could decapitate a person with one blow. The man swung around already ready to go for a second time. Dom could feel sweat forming on his brow. This man wasn't slow, despite his excessive size and for some reason he thought Dom was some sort of traitor. If only he had a sword, or honestly any sort of weapon would have been welcome. He was going to have to try and distract him somehow. Again the sword came down in a deadly cut and Dom had to leap to safety. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Look, I think you've got the wrong guy…" Dom tried to say calmly, but the man would have none of it.

"No, I don't. You're the bad guy, selling secrets to our enemies, spying for them. You'll pay!"

Well, Dom couldn't technically lie and say that wasn't what he was doing. The man moved forward and this time Dom wasn't going to take it laying down. He ducked under the man's arm and dug his fist straight into the man's stomach. He stumbled back a little and Dom snaked out of his reach once more.

"You idiot," he growled angrily, "just for that I'm going to make sure that precious wife of yours will end this day in bits and pieces. But maybe I'll have some fun with her first."

His words suck deep and without warning deep hot anger sunk into Dom, propelling him forward to make the man swallow his words – exactly the reaction he had been aiming for. Using Dom's angry lunge he moved forward, this time meeting his mark as Dom got out of way too slowly. His sword cut through Dom's bare chest, cutting through his shoulder down to his abdomen. Pain shot through him in waves as hot blood started spilling from the wound. He stepped backward, his back meeting a chair before his legs gave way and he slid to the floor.

He looked up in hopelessness as the man looked down at him, his harsh voice laughing at Dom's despair. He raised his sword once more, intending to finish the job when Kel suddenly appeared behind him, the chamber pot in her hands. Dom watched in amazement as she brought it down on his attacker's head and knocking him out with one solid hit.

He was smiling in amusement as she dropped to her knees beside him, her eyes wide in shock and fright.

"Dom?" her voice was filled with worry and fright. Not even caring for modesty anymore she tore a large chunk off her nightgown and pressed it to the cut.

Dom captured her hand and dropped a kiss on it. "Why don't you ever fail to surprise me?" he asked before his vision turned black and consciousness left him, the tears streaming down Kel's face the last thing he saw.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Please leave me a review and let me know. Promise I'll try and make the next update longer and update sooner! =)**


	12. 12: Kel's Worst Nightmare

**Hi guys, another chapter is up! Finally, I know, I'm taking WAY too long but I am so overworked and tired nowadays that you'll have to forgive me. Please! Uni live is one word – BUSY!**

**Thanks again to my favourite people! – ****EmiRose, Sora Ajax, lady of copper isles, bookworm032, imakittycat, SarcasticLoner, HeadBoyProngs, hi, TopazDragon, stormwinglover, Mythical Words, somebody's sister, smileysgoboing, EmiRose (again =D), RealGirlsHaveCurves, Aria657, JollyLass, Books-Are-My-Only-Love, m0rganosity, TheWackedOne and spazzysassyangel. You guys totally and complete ROCK!**

*****NB*** VERY IMPORTANT! If something happens in the beginning of this chapter that you don't like, PLEASE keep reading! It works out, just keep reading! No, it's not what you're thinking! =P Remember, keep reading!**

***bonus NB* For anyone who reads my HP story, I'm going to scrap the current story and rewrite it with completely a completely new storyline and characterisation. So please keep your eyes peeled for that. I appreciate the support!**

**On with the chapter…**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Kel's Worst Nightmare**

Kel lifted one shaky hand to wipe the tears from her face but it was hopeless, they just kept coming, large drops of heartbroken tears that streamed past her cheeks and down her chin. Her other hand pressed the piece of cloth she had torn from her nightgown to the open wound with a mix of firmness and gentleness. She had to be firm or the blood would continue to flow from the open wound, but even though her mind knew this, her body was finding it difficult to obey. This wasn't simply a wounded knight, warrior or commoner she was tending to, this was Dom! Somehow it made all the skills she had been taught from her first moment as a page fade into the darkness. For one thing, she had been taught to be calm and collected, but even she knew that not even her Yamani training could ever achieve that. She never cried, not even in the most dreaded of situations, she was a knight for goodness sake, but suddenly she couldn't stop.

She watched as Dom grew paler and paler, the cloth in her hands staining darker by the second. As his body grew stiller she scrambled forward and pressed her ear against his heart. He was still breathing, but it was getting slower by the second.

"Don't die Dom," her voice was a mere whisper, broken and mixed with a sob of despair, pressed tightly against his heart. "Please, not now, not when everything's falling in place. Please Dom, stay. I lov…" her voice broke again, but she pressed forward, knowing what she wanted to do most of all and wishing she had had the courage to do so earlier. "I love you Dom," It was a soft whisper but it was the truth. Hope was fading fast, she couldn't leave him and run to find Alanna because that would mean letting go of the wound that was slowly bleeding out, despite the pressure she was placing on it.

She closed her eyes, willing some control to return, when she felt a soft pressure against her hand. Her eyes flew open to meet Dom's blue ones, his hand gently clenching her own. A soft smile spread across his lips as he looked at her and then the pressure fell away and he was gone.

* * *

The thump of galloping hooves echoed through the air before the sound of wood clashing with wood followed. Raoul leaned against the fence, his eyes carefully following the young pages and squires. He couldn't hide the smug smile that came from knowing that his own squire could have thumped each and every one of them. And she had, managing to obtain her shield just as easily (or just as difficult depending how one looked at it) as any boy could have. Kel was one in a million, she was an inspiration and a legend in her own right. Raoul watched the young girls present. There were three of them now, coming to earn their shield just as their hero Lady Knight Keladry of Mildelan had. His smile grew even smugger as one of the girls charged by on a high strung horse, lost her balance and quite accidentally hit the target dead centre. Encourage by her friend's success, another girl followed, only to nearly be whacked out of the saddle by the spinning sandbag.

Just the thought of Kel had him back to worrying. What was going on, was her mission a success – or more importantly, was his and Alanna's plan a success?

It had to be, he just couldn't imagine that it could possibly be a failure. It was foolproof! He was so confident that he had Dom's royal pardon in a desk at his home.

Then why did he have this feeling that everything was just the opposite of perfect. The plan was foolproof, he and Alanna had made sure of that, yet the niggling feeling was glued to the back of his mind.

Raoul shook his head. No, he had to assume that everything was going great, that right now Kel and Dom were falling completely and utterly in love, and quickly too so they could come home and he could stop worrying.

"Be careful my lord, if you keep frowning like that much longer it might just freeze on your face." Turning around in surprise he was astounded to discover Colin dressed in cloths so old, dirty and worn that he looked exactly like a farmer. One that had rolled in pig muck, but nether the less a farmer.

"Colin, what are you doing here?" he kept his voice low to avoid being overheard. He was one of the very few people who knew just who and what Colin was and the appearance of the gifted spy meant only one thing. Trouble. Suddenly Raoul's worry ten folded.

Colin, never one to waste time, did a quick scan of the area before he replied in a low voice. "We have a bit of trouble. Intruders have managed to infiltrate. George says move onto stage B,"

Raoul's eyebrows rose slightly at the words. He himself had formed plan B, but George had been so unimpressed that he had formed a plan C, D, E and F, all of whom he had assured Raoul and Alanna he would rather follow before doing plan B. George had something up his sleeves, but for the life of him, Raoul couldn't figure out what.

Colin must not have been aware what plan B was because he looked perfectly calm about asking Raoul to do it. Either that or he was an excellent actor.

Raoul cleared his throat. "Eh, alright, if that's what George wants. Will you be joining me?"

Colin shook his head. "I have orders." Raoul understood. Travelling with him was a threat and losing Colin was not something that George could really afford right now. With a nod of his head, Colin turned and stepping into the shade of the trees and disappearing into the darkness like a shadow.

With a sigh Raoul turned towards the castle, his mind mentally running over the things he needed to prepare. One things was for sure – neither Buri nor Jonathan was going to be too pleased about his fleeing the country just as the next ball was about to begin. A small grin spread across his face. Now that he thought about it, this journey was a wonderful idea!

* * *

Alanna hands curled tightly against her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she thought the urge to slap the man in front of her all the way to the Black God. He was a bear of a man, bigger even than Raoul, who had always been almost a small giant himself. It had taken more energy than Alanna had wanted to spend on the piece of filth but she and George had managed to heave his unconscious body all the way to the bedroom before chaining him to a table they had dragged in as well. Where George had gotten the thick chains Alanna didn't know, but at that moment in time she couldn't have cared less. All she knew was that this man, this scumbag, this good for nothing idiot was going to pay for what he had done.

Giving the chain a quick yank to ensure they would hold, Alanna grabbed a nearby pitcher of water and coldly dumped the lot over his head. He came awake spluttering, his hands automatically rising to cover his face, only to be yanked back down by the chains. Instantly his attention flicked to Alanna and he lunged for her. Alanna didn't even flinch. He couldn't reach her, there was nothing to fear. And if by some weird twist of fate he did manage to loosen the chains, it would be he that would have reason to fear, not her. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her anger in control. But she had to stay calm for Kel's sake. She was the cause of all this trouble, and she was going to have to do her best to ensure that she got them out of it again.

"Who are you?" her voice was calm, low and filled with loath and hate. She sounded like someone to be feared.

Unfortunately the man in front of her didn't seem to share that opinion. He laughed loudly, settling his broad back against the table like he was lounging in the most relaxing place in the world. "Lady, what does it matter who I am? Why don't you unchain these things before you get hurt? This isn't any place for a tiny ol' lass like you," His words were followed by an annoying smirk.

Alanna clenched her hands even tighter. The need to smack him was becoming more persistent and she didn't know how long she could hold on before succumbing to the need. Instead she took a deep breath and forced herself to concentrate on the matter on hand.

"How bout we let me worry about where and where not my place is and you just answer the question, hmm?" she tried to sound sweet but there was an edge to her voice that even he noticed.

His smirk was suddenly replaced with a deep frown, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "Who do you think you're dealing with?" His voice was deep and cold, a technique Alanna figured he was using to try and cow her into obeying his orders. Unfortunately for him Alanna didn't follow orders from anyone but Jonathon and she even fought against those sometimes.

"Why don't you tell me who I'm dealing with," she asked sweetly.

The man's face was slowly turning red with anger as Alanna smile taunted him. He yanked at his chains again, his eyes warning her that she wouldn't be smiling if they broke. "What difference does it make who I am?" he growled, "When I get loose from here you're not going to live long enough to make use of that knowledge. And I will get out of here, I promise you that. Besides," he turned smug again, "no one knows who I am. You're not going to get any information from anyone even if you did know my name. I'm just a hired hand who was paid to insure some people didn't live to see the next day. Happy?"

Alanna's temper flared and before she could stop herself she leaped forward, grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and pulled him as far as the chain allowed him to go so that she could glare straight into his eyes. "No, I'm not happy. You came in here and attacked an innocent man who was only here because I begged them to be. You think that'll make me happy?"

He must have seen the change in her and realised she was more dangerous than she looked because his eyes widened and he tried to squirm away.

"Listen lady, I think there was a misunderstanding…"

Somehow this only made Alanna angrier. "A misunderstanding? This was no misunderstanding and you made pretty sure I knew that! Who paid you?"

He was getting frightened, desperately trying to get away. "I can't tell you!" His voice had taken on a desperate tone that had been absent seconds earlier. His answer only infuriated Alanna further.

"Who paid you?" Her cry was followed by an unexpected burst of magic which instantly set the cloth she was holding aflame. She might not have planned it, but her action ended up being the best possible action she could have done. The man yelped out in surprise and fear, smacking at the flames with his large hands. Alanna had let go of him the second he caught fire and he now used it to his advantage to move as far away from her as possible, his eyes filled with unmistakable fear.

He's afraid of magic, she realised joyfully. He looked like he wanted to use his oversized hands to dig a hole in the ground in desperation just so he could get away from the gifted woman and she was going to use that to her advantage.

She just had to use it sparingly, there wasn't that much left…

"Let's try that again," she strode closer, her hand filling with a ball of purple light as she advanced. "Who. Are. You. Working. For?" Each work was accompanied by her moving a little bit closer. The man tried getting away but there was nowhere let to go. As Alanna took one more step towards him he broke apart.

"I don't know his name!"

Alanna stopped. "Fine, what did he look like?"

"I don't know!"

Alanna frowned, the light in her hand glowing fiercer.

"I couldn't see how he looked; he was wearing a black cloak. He didn't say who he was, and truthfully I had a little too much to drink at the time to ask. All I know is that he desperately wanted me to take out a man named Robert Winters. He said Robert was a spy who was here to make sure the treaty between Darkwood and Tortal failed. I didn't care if the treaty succeeded or failed but he offered me so much money I couldn't resist."

Typical, Alanna thought bitterly, this person used a drunk who cared for nothing but enough coin to buy his next drink. The bad part was there were so many people willing to do that that it wouldn't have made it hard to find someone stupid enough to kill just for another drink.

"Where did he find you?"

"In a tavern three hours ride from here."

Alanna thought for a moment. That was close enough to mean that the man could have been watching them for some time. He even knew Dom's fake name, which means he would have had to have been in Darkwood within the previous few days. Something about this confused her however.

"You said he wanted you to take care of Robert Winters, what did he say about his wife?"

He shook his head. "He didn't want me to do anything to her; he just wanted Robert out of the way."

Alanna shook her head. "So you were doing this just to kill an innocent man."

Her words seemed to make him even more desperate. "I didn't know! I didn't know he was innocent! I didn't know I killed an innocent man!"

Alanna's frown turned into an evil smirk.

"Oh, you didn't kill him. But that's what you're going to tell the man when you collect your money."

* * *

Kel felt a small movement that brought her from her sleepy state, but her tired mind refused to focus. Her back and neck felt stiff, but from what she couldn't remember. She couldn't even remember why she was sleeping in the first place. The movement repeated and slowly her mind managed to take in one word.

"Kel?"

Her eyes flew open and the memories of the past day flew back in a rush. It was Dom that had moved and was now staring down at her in confusion. She had fallen asleep next to him on the bed that was surprisingly softer than the one she had slept on the previous night. The confusing part was that she had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed and was now somehow snuggled tightly against Dom who had been laying on the complete other side. Somehow she must have sought him out while she had been sleeping.

"Kel?" Dom asked again. "Where are we? And what exactly happened?"

Slipping out of his arm – it looked like she wasn't the only one that had been looking for someone in their sleep – she sat up on the bed. Dom's blue eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and fear and Kel couldn't stop herself from reaching out and giving him a deep kiss. Dom didn't seem to mind, even though she hadn't answered a single one of his questions. Unconsciously he pulled her closer, relishing in the joy that came with realising he wasn't dead after all. He only stopped when he felt small tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.

"What's wrong Kel?" He rested his forehead against hers, him eyes fixed on her hazel ones.

"You were dead Dom," she said softly. "You were really dead for two minutes. If Alanna hadn't returned when she did…" Her voice broke and two more tears slid down her cheeks. "I thought you were gone," Her voice seemed to break more with every word.

Dom swiftly swooped down and kissed away the tears before moving up and kissing each eyelid as well. "I'm still here Kel," he whispered and pulled her closer. Kel allowed him to pull her to his chest and stayed there for a minute, relishing the feeling of being in his arms, imagining what it would be like to stay there forever, feeling safe and wanted. She closed her eyes, trying to block the memories that were pushing forward, but she couldn't. The memory of Dom laying there, his heart still and lifeless. She had never been someone who cried easily, sometimes not even crying when it was the best thing to do, yet this past day she had cried more than she had in her entire life put together. She had felt broken, defeated and defenceless, but she couldn't stop. It was like her life had come to a complete and utter stop and that her reason for living had gone with him. She had sat there, her hand still pressed against the gaping wound, her head tucked tightly into the curve of his neck while tears streamed from her eyes like a waterfall when Alanna had appeared at a run. Someone had heard the door being smashed open and had come looking for help. George had pulled Kel back while Alanna leaned over Dom and blasted some form of magic into him. She had repeated the process twice more, finally stopping and looked up them in defeat when Dom had suddenly started breathing again. George had had a small smile on his face as he looked down at her.

"He wants to live lass, there's no other way he could have survived. Remember that." His cryptic tone suggested he knew about Kel and Dom, but he moved towards the stranger before she could ask him.

"We're in a tavern about an hour's ride from the village," Kel finally told him. "One of George's friends owes the place. They want to keep us here until they can come up with another plan." She looked up at him, concern in her eyes. "I think we failed the mission Dom,"

He shook his head. "No, we aren't done yet Kel. If they wanted us to stop we'd have been on our way already. No, they're planning something else."

Kel had to agree that Dom had a valid point. "But what?" she asked thoughtfully.

She felt Dom shrug. "That love, is the question."

* * *

'**K, what do you think? Please review and let me know! =)**

**Oh, I hope you guys don't think Kel's a little too pathetic in this chapter but I wanted to show just how much she loves Dom. And Liam was a Shang yet he was afraid of magic, so why can't the thug be?**


	13. 13: Guess Who's Back?

**First questions first, is it safe? I know, I know, this chapter has taken WAY too long but I've really been so busy and so stressed, first with test and exams then finding out I'm diabetic - but I'm not suppose to be using excuses. Instead I should just be saying thanks so much that you guys have been so patient with me. As your reward, I'm giving you the longest chapter of Mission: Undercover I have ever written. Hope it's long enough!**

**I've also added a quick summary of the last 12 chapters in case you've forgotten what's happened.**

**Also, I have decided I really need a beta. I've asked one reader already but have yet to get an answer (not her fault I'm just really impatient with this chapter cause you guys have been waiting so long) so if there's anyone who's really interested in the job, please let me know!**

**As always, to the best readers in the entire world: somebody's sister, spazzysassyangel, TheWackedOne, Knight-Em, stormwinglover, RealGirlsHaveCurves, m0rganosity, Books-Are-My-Only-Love, Bookworm181, FreeRunner289, .naxen, readingobsessed, Dom-Loves-Kel, bookworm032, Aria657, EmiRose, Kinara of Queenscove, WarriorKnight, dexterbird, NomadGirl12, Science-Fantasy93, Person, meg random, Rogue's Queen, no name, Moirae Fayte, Persona-Aya, kristie, deets1 and OHSHC Forever.**

* * *

**Quick summary**

**(skip down to where it says chapter 13 if you don't need the reminder or the extra explaining)**

The story begins at Neal and Yuki's wedding. Alanna and Raoul have set up a plan to get Kel and Dom together through an elaborate scheme. Easily getting Dom and Kel to agree (both believing it is a dangerous mission instead of a matchmaking scheme) Raoul persuades Jon to give Dom a royal pardon so that once he and Kel fall in love they can get married without Dom needing to quit the King's Own (Alanna likes to think ahead). The story moves to Darkwood, a village on the border of Scanra. Unknown to Kel and Dom, who are now acting as a married couple, the village have already sworn allegiance to Tortal and is not in fact planning the war. They meet many new and interesting people and everything seems just dandy until Alanna and George get word from Colin (**NB.** I'd like to know what you guys think of him cause I'm thinking of giving him a bigger role, so please let me know) that things have suddenly gone downhill. Along with the spies that were placed in Darkwood to make the mission a little more realistic is a pair of evil spies who is going to turn the whole situation into a nighmare. Alanna and George show up as Dom's parents to give a little aid (not picking the best time to arrive). The next day a hired thug breaks in (once more not picking the best time to arrive) and nearly kills Dom who only survives due to Alanna's gift.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Guess who's back?**

It was a long trek up the steep mountain and his breath came in rapid puffs of steamy air as he finally reached the first rise. Damn, why the hell did they have to meet up here of all places? It was cold and snowing… and for goodness sake there was no one else in sight. No one, nothing, just hills and rocks and, darn it, more snow! A large speck fell straight in his eye and he let out a loud growl of annoyance, his sleeve desperately trying to wipe off the blasted thing. He wanted to turn around and march his damp ass all the way back to the nearest tavern and warm himself with a tankard of ale and a nice hot fire. But he couldn't, not with her watching his every move. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was there. He also knew if he put one foot out of place she's be on him like a rabid dog, her and her magic. He shuddered at the mere thought. And he believed her threat. The tiny redhead didn't look or sound like someone who made idle threats. He should have kept drinking that day instead of agreeing to such a stupid mission just because his buddies had called him chicken until he'd agreed. Now he was being watched by a crazy little mage while those so-called friends drowned their ugly mugs in ale. If he made it out of this alive he was going to kill every single one of them. Slowly and painfully, like those bastards deserved.

He stood there, wishing the snow would disappear and trying to catch his breath. He was willing to admit it was possible that he was a little unfit, but the real reason he was tired was the hill he'd just clambered up. That thing would tire anyone stupid enough to think they could conquer it. At least the rest of the way was downhill. He cast a quick glance behind him, half hoping that he may have lost the mage and her companion, but simultaneously knowing better. She was there somewhere in that snow, watching his every move.

The path downhill went much faster than the uphill one had, but it was no less a strain on his legs. He had to physically stop himself from breaking into a choppy jog instead of a steady walk. He should have demanded a horse, even though he knew they would never have given him one. With one large hand he wiped the sweat from his brow, his cold eyes glued to the tiny dip that formed in front of him. It was a small crater formed between the hills, the ground rising from all edges to make it a perfect little hiding spot. Unless one stood directly on top of one of the hills you would never be able to see it and then of course those standing in the dip would have a clear view of you too. He didn't know how the mage was going to listen to the conversation but he had a nudging suspicion she would find a way.

That was her worry, not his, anyway. Instead he turned his attention to the person he was suppose to meet. The hills around him were clear, nothing but ground, rocks, trees and, of course, more snow. There was no sign of life in any shape or form. There was nothing but him and dead silence. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't be dead silent when this meeting was done.

As he swallowed at the thought his eyes caught slight movement from the north – the hill opposite to the one he had taken himself. As it came closer he realised it was two figures dressed from head to toe in thick black cloaks. The dark colour made them easy to spot in the light snow. He swallowed again. He was a ruthless killer, a man who cared for nothing but his next drink and finding a woman to bed, but as with the mage he found himself terrified of the cloaked leader. He had never seen his face, but there had always been something about him that made it crystal clear he wasn't someone to be messed with. His buddies had been too drunk to notice, but he had. Maybe that was why the man had chosen him, because he'd seen the fear in his eyes even as he tried to hide it. What did the man look like, he wondered. And if he could install so much fear without even revealing his face, how easily could he bring men to his knees when he did? They may have been cloaked, but he instantly knew which one was the leader. His companion was extremely short – maybe even shorter than the redhead – making it a dead giveaway. They walked slowly, like they had all the time in the world. He wondered what would happen if he suddenly yelled out that it was a trap. What would his captors possibly be able to do to him? Yet despite that though he kept that urge locked firmly away. Much as he hated to admit it, he simply feared magic too much to go against the mage's wishes.

He hadn't been when he'd been a young man. His grandmother had had the gift, a small amount but it was enough to do small spells like lighting candles. He remembered coaxing her into showing him small tricks and had always laughed in delight when she had given in. It had been a wonder to him and he remember the sadness that came when he finally realised he had not inherited his grandmother's gift. They had lived on a small fief, working as farmers for the lord and living what his father had called simple yet happy lives. He'd disagreed with that, sure that there was so much more out there that simply waited for him to discover. He had planned on leaving to explore the world the second he was old enough but his plans had flown out the window the minute he had met her. Her name had been Nicolene and she'd been more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. She'd been a small girl – a woman really – with large chocolate eyes and straw coloured hair. But it was her determination and her sly smile that had stolen his heart. Suddenly he found himself working five times harder, saving every coin for a house of his own and after two years he'd finally had enough to fulfil his new dream. He'd taken her to the lake just outside the village that day and asked her to be his bride. She agreed, much to his surprise and delight. Finally he was living the life he knew in his heart he truly wanted. She was to be his and they would live the 'simple yet happy' life his father loved so much. And which he was coming to realise he loved just as much. It had all changed that night. A party had been arranged for them to celebrate and share their happiness and everything had been perfect. He'd been staring into those lovely eyes, his mind picturing their home filled with love and children, when a man – a lad really – had appeared out of the darkness. He knew the boy, knew that he'd asked Nicolene to marry him many times, never accepting that she did not return his feelings. Unfortunately he had had the gift, even if he had absolutely no idea how to use it. The boy had clearly been drunk, his eyes squinted and his voice slurred, and the alcohol had given him the courage to say what he normally would not.

"You think she loves you? Ha, she's nothing but a whore. But maybe when she's done with you she'll finally realise what she's passing on. You know her kind. Always wants what she can't have."

He'd stood up, ready to smash the bastard into oblivion when the boy had noticed he was in danger. Alcohol making him stupid he raised his hand, magic crackling over his palm. He'd been stupid then, unaffected by the sight of the gift. He should have backed up then and there, but idiotic as he'd been he'd advanced. The boy panicked and before he could stop him threw the small ball of destruction. It went soaring through the air, but instead of hitting its target it missed him by miles. Instead the boy's drunken shot hit Nicolene straight in the chest. He'd watched, almost as if time had slowed down to a crawl, as her lips parted in a surprised gasp, her chest heave as the small ball collided and her eyes turn blank as she fell to the ground, her life ripped from her body. For a second he just stood there, his mind refusing to accept what his eyes were showing him, then suddenly, like a hound released from its cage, rage poured into his soul. Anger, hatred, sadness... revenge...

Darkness clouded his mind, blinding him for a minute, and when the light penetrated once more he found himself standing over the drunken boy's body, his dagger thrust firmly into his heart. He ran then, long and hard, ran from those who wanted to convict him of murder, ran from those who loved him who could never accept what he had done, ran from the memories and dreams that haunted him, that which he had held in his grasp and now could never be. When he finally couldn't run anymore he turned to drowning himself in alcohol, joining a gang of thieves when he couldn't pay for any more. He'd fought against the life at first, his subconscious mind desperately trying to remind him who he was meant to be, but he had squashed down that part of him, choosing instead to be the criminal the world had turned him into. He had taken many lives after that boy and had never felt a thing. How could he when most of him had died that night along with his love. He'd lost his innocence, his mind, his soul...

"Has it been done?"

The voice that suddenly sounded from right in front of him startled him out of his memories. He'd been so caught up in the past that he hadn't even realised that the two cloaked figures had reached him. He puffed out his chest, fighting back and tattle tale sign of surprise as he tried to look calm and collected. The answer to his question had been well rehearsed for the past day. The mage had made it pretty clear that it was the only answer he was allowed to give and much as he hated to admit it he was dying with curiosity to know what her plan was. She hadn't been inclined to share that part with him. Here he was, risking his life, and she didn't even inform him what he was doing it for. And he was risking his neck. If the man had other spies there he'd know the second he told the story that it was one huge lie.

Mentally he took a large breath, forcing a menacing smile onto his lips. "It's done alright. Dumb bastard didn't even see it coming. Still on duty at the time so I just took care of him then and there and buried him in the snow. They'll find the body... eventually." Now all he could do was see if they would call out his fib. If he'd been anywhere withing ten miles of the village he'd know the truth. One particularly loud mouthed woman had taken it upon herself to tell everyone she could find in excruciatingly thorough (and incorrect) detail about how "brave old Robert had stopped that evil robber. Sarah must be so proud!" Considering 'Sarah' had been the one who had knocked him out, he wasn't so sure.

The man however surprised him by suddenly smiling wolfishly. "Good, that's even better than I could have hoped for," Not surprising as it was all hogwash. "You did well and deserved to be rewarded." What he 'deserved' was to be allowed to turn around so he could run out of there like the coward he was. "I know exactly what to give you," His mind swam with images of ale and whiskey when he suddenly noticed the glint of metal. "I'll let you out of your misery," In one swift movement the cloaked man thrust a dagger in the bandit's throat. He stood for a second, his eyes wide with pure panic, before he fell to the ground, dead as his dear Nicolene, his dark blood staining the snow crimson.

The cloaked man casually leaned forward and plucked the blade from the fallen idiot, wiping the blade with the sleeve of the dead man's jacket before turning to his companion who, he noticed, had grown slightly pale beneath his cloak. Good, let him worry a little. The dead man's job had been complete and frankly he had better things to worry about than whether or not his henchmen could keep their mouths shut. Tucking the dagger back inside the folds of his cloak he strode to his companion.

"Time for your part of the mission Nigel. Try not to fail after I had removed the hard part." The male had been taken care of leaving only the woman behind. He didn't know who she was but then again, how hard could it be to dispose of one female? Most people would have felt bad killing people most would consider innocent, but he had no problem with that at all. He'd been informed by his men that the two Tortallians were here to ensure the peace treaty between Tortal and the Darkwood fief went through. He couldn't afford for that to happen.

Nigel was looking down at the body laying on the ground. "Was it really neces -" he began.

"It was. What would we have done if he'd gone and blabbed about our plan?"

"He didn't know who we were or anything about our plan!" Nigel countered.

"Maybe not, but he knew it had something to do with Darkwood and something to do with the Winters. Better save than sorry,"

"But -"

The leader lashed out, grabbing tiny Nigel by the throat. "I am in charge here Nigel. Either follow my orders or join our friend on the ground there."

Nigel nodded desperately, simultaneously trying to worm his way out of the leaders hands. "Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go!" As Nigel pulled desperately the man let go, sending his short companion hurtling back into the snow.

"Good. I have business to attend to and will be back in two weeks. If things aren't exactly as I envisioned them you will be the first one to be punished." With a swish of his cloak he started climbing the hill, steadily making his way back to where he had come from.

Nigel waited until he was out of sight before he got back to his feet. Brushing the snow from his cloak he cursed the day he had agreed to this plan. He'd been a fool to ever believe this man would handle the plan smoothly and efficiently, but it was too late now. He'd dug his own hole and now he had no choice but to bury himself in it. He was going to have to kill the woman. It was either her or him and he wasn't all that fond of dying himself. Besides, it wasn't like he knew her. She was just some woman from Tortal who had just lost her husband. Maybe she'd even be happy to join him in whatever life awaited them after death.

Deciding he would actually be doing her a favour he started making his way towards the hill the bandit had come from, now content with the deed he would have to pull off. He was busy picturing ways of breaking into the village unseen when a hand shot out from the snow. latched on to his legs and dragged him into the depth.

* * *

Alanna smiled mischievously at him as the tiny man stared at them like they were minions send from hell to dispose of him. She had to congratulate George on the excellent spot he had chosen for their hideout. He had carefully examined the place before the meeting and had discovered that by pushing aside a few rocks that there was a small cavern carved into the side of one of the hills. The snow made the perfect cover and the two of them had taken refuge two hours before the meeting to ensure that the snow covered them completely. It had been cold as hell but all worth it in the end. They had heard every single word that had been exchanged and now had another captive to add to their collection. The first one was now dead on the ground, but Alanna found it didn't really bother her as much as she had thought it would have. He'd tried to kill Dom after all and that just couldn't be excused. Besides, he'd known nothing else of these people's plan and had been virtually useless to them by now. The man in front of her however had a well of knowledge just waiting to be forced out of him. And the fact that he was terrified made her feel just a teeny bit better. This lot was going to pay for interfering with her plans, she was going to made darn sure of it.

"Who - who are you?" the small man squeaked.

Alanna's smile turned evil. "I'm your worst nightmare."

* * *

Raoul twisted in his saddle, his hand desperately trying to reach that one spot on his back that just always seemed out of reach. He'd though it funny when Kel had mentioned it but, wow, these clothes were itchy! He wondered briefly where Alanna had managed to get his clothes from before realising he probably didn't want to know. The old nag he was riding realised he wasn't holding the rein and once more stopped for a nice graze. "Keep going!" he ordered sternly as he squeezed the gelding's sides with his heels, but it took a good solid kick to get the thing going again. Dear word he missed Drum. And his weapons. And, for goodness sake, cloths that didn't make him want to tear every shred of cloth from his body. Buri probably wouldn't have minded but he was pretty sure everyone else would. He could see him men laughing in his mind. He'd go from Lord Raoul the Giant Killer to Lord Raoul the Cloth Killer in three seconds flat. Luckily neither his men nor Buri was around so at least he could scratch his back without the threat of being mocked for days constantly staring him in the face. It felt strange riding alone, he realised with surprise. He was so use to having his men around him wherever he went that them not being there almost left him a little lonely. Funny to think that he'd always dreamed being a knight included riding off into the sunset all by himself. Now the thought just annoyed him. In all honest, it wasn't being alone that bothered him, it was the boredom. No one was telling inappropriately lewd jokes, no one was was questioning whether they were going in the right direction, no one was complaining of sore body parts - it just wasn't natural!

With Raoul's attention once more elsewhere the horse took it as a signal to stop for lunch. Raoul was usually kind and easygoing with all animals but this one was starting to get on his nerves a little. "Forward!" he ordered in a stern voice. The nag ignored him, calmly continuing to pull long blades of green grass from beneath the trees where the snow hadn't been able to bury it. He pulled the reins harder, cursing the fact that he had chosen this particular horse. He'd looked way more exiting when he'd been running around the paddock like a loon, but now he looked more like one of his men on their off day. He wished he'd picked another one, even if the rest were mostly ponies. Anything was better than this.

A small rustle sounded behind him and before he could turn to look something attached itself to his leg and pulled him to the ground. Spread out around him were a group of five thugs, their hair and faces dirty and sweaty, their eyes crazy as they looked down at him. Raoul wasted no time. Using his leg to trip the nearest one he fished his dagger from where it was stashed in his belt and rolled to the side to avoid the second one's lunge. With speed born from years of training, he launched to his feet and sunk his fist into the nearest thug's gut. The man went down, clutching his stomach as Raoul faced the next one. They were either fearless or stupid, or just so desperate they could do nothing else, but despite seeing Raoul could fight back they still advanced. As they slowly advanced, clearly thinking numbers would scare him, Raoul carefully calmed himself, urging his mind and body to turn into fighting mode. The thugs had no idea who they were facing but that didn't mean he was going to take it any easier on them. They had chosen to take him on and if it was a battle they wanted, it was a battle they would get. His fist clenched on the hilt of the dagger and he almost threw it aside. Only the knowledge that these people would willingly kill him kept him from doing so. He hated taking innocent lives and he knew these people were probably only hungry and thus driven to the extreme. But he also knew he was needed elsewhere and the quicker he got this over and done with, the better.

"Is this really necessary boys?" he asked trying to finishes it quickly. "My daughter is expecting me and I'd rather not leave her waiting," Not entirely a lie. His words however didn't have any effect on the men at all. Family man or no, Raoul was not going to be let go peacefully. "Alright, but remember, you asked for it," Swiftly he leaped forward, his fist once more digging into the nearest man's stomach before his elbow flew up to slam into his chin. The man fell to the ground, out cold. The rest of the fight passed in a blur. Instinct and muscled honed from years and years of practise fell into smooth rhythms as one after the other the thugs lunged at him again and again and again. He felt one's dagger pierce the skin on one arm but he kept going, his own weapon carefully staying out of the battle. With one last thrust of his arm he sent the last man tumbling to the floor. Raoul stood dead still, his chest heaving from the heavy work. The next time he saw George he was going to look at him in a completely new light. Fighting hand to hand combat was a lot tougher than he remembered.

As his breathing slowed he tucked his dagger back into his belt and gave the thieves a once over. They were young and they were thin, definitely starving and desperate for food. He would leave this little episode as a lesson to why happened when you tried to steal from people. Now the problem was that he had no horse. The old one may have been a nag, but at least he had meant that Raoul didn't have to walk all the way. It was definitely not something the knight was looking forward to in the least

A black tail swished out from behind a tree and with disbelief Raoul stepped forward. The nag was still standing exactly where Raoul had left him, happily nibbling the his head at his own dumb luck he scrambled back onto the animals back.

"You know what horsey," he said dryly as he turned him back towards the road, "you may not be that bad after all,"

* * *

Today was the day she did what she'd been sure she would never ever ever do. Today was the day she purposefully searched out Grace. Sally shuddered at the mere thought. How many times had she done the complete opposite, ducking into shops, houses and ally ways just to avoid doing exactly that? Today was truly unique and Sally hoped to Mithros there would never be such a day again. But she had to know and all those who she'd thus far encountered had told her that Grace was the only one who knew what exactly had happened. Yet, strangely enough, the first time she had gone looking for Grace was the first time she'd been unable to find her. She'd looked everywhere, double checking all those places that Grace normally managed to corner her in, but her search had thus far been futile. When she'd asked others if they had perhaps seen her, they had looked at her like she had gone insane and asked, "You're actually looking for her? Are you feeling alright?" She been offered some tea, a basic healing and even a tankard of ale, but no one had had a clue where the usually ever present Grace was hiding. Most people considered it a blessing and normally Sally would have agree whole hearted but today she considered it a curse.

"Where are you, you crazy old bat?" she muttered wearily. True Grace wasn't that old but she was at least two decades older than Sally.

"Now now Sally, such language is unnecessary. What if the person you're talking about heard you?" Typical that Grace would appear just as she said those words out loud. Sally turned to discover the object of her nightmares standing in the doorway, her mouth pulled into an extremely smug smile.

"Perhaps that would have been a good thing," Sally covered quickly, "You see I was looking for my husband..."

"Ah, say no more," Sally frowned slightly at Grace's knowing tone and opened her mouth to demand an apology when she remembered the reason she had been looking for Grace in the first place. She would have to defend her husband's honour some other time.

"Listen Grace," she said carefully instead, "I heard you may know what happened to the Winters yesterday morning. Is that true?"

Grace smiled like a little child who'd been told they could have exactly what they've always wanted for their birthday. Sally felt her stomach sink at the mere sight and had to physically stop herself from turning and fleeing in the opposite direction. Old habits were really hard to break, especially when it came to Grace.

"Oh Sally, my dear, do I have a story for you! Come, my house is just around the corner. I'll make you a cup of tea and tell you everything," Sally once more had to fight to keep her expression interested and free of shock. The entire time she'd been there Grace had done nothing but mock her and fight over every silly thing that happened. Their biggest fight had been about a cloth pin that she had borrowed and taken a tiny bit too long to return. Truth be told Sally had completely forgotten about the thing until Grace had started accusing her of being a 'cloth pin thief', then started making her life hell in all aspects despite the fact that Sally had given her the pin there and then. But Grace had been on a mission and nobody stopped Grace when she was on a mission. Now she was inviting Sally to have tea at her house, something that most would have claimed would happen only when the earth froze over. Sally desperately wanted to ask what the catch was, but instead held her tongue and smiled in what she hoped was an appreciating manner.

Overjoyed Grace marched forward towards her house, leaving Sally to half jog to keep up. Say what you may, but Grace had definitely mastered the art of being a busybody. Luckily her house was just around the corner because Sally wasn't sure she'd have been able to keep up otherwise. No wonder Grace was so good at cornering people, she walked faster than most people could run! Pushing the snow away with her foot Grace shoved open the door, ushering Sally in after her before hurriedly closing the door again.

"Can't let the cold air inside now can we? Come, sit down and I'll get some water boiling."

Sally tried not to look too curious as she sat down in a surprisingly comfortable chair. The entire room was decorated in beautifully exotic colours with gorgeous pieces of embroidered cloth thrown over chairs and tables. It looked like Grace, despite her many bad qualities, had some good ones that she hid pretty well as well. It felt awkward sitting in the house of the person she spent such a vast amount of time avoiding, but Sally swallowed her pride and forced herself to relax. Minutes later Grace returned with two steaming cups of tea.

"Well, where to start?" Uh oh, Sally could already tell Grace was going to stretch this out as long as she possibly could. That was her norm and she should have expected it from the start. "Well, yesterday morning I noticed one of the hedges in my front garden was a little disheveled -" how Grace noticed that with all the snow would forever remain a mystery "- and as I got closer I noticed a large hole in the middle of it. Now the last time that had happened had been when Marsha's brats had been running around with some sticks..." Grace went on about how naughty Marsha's three boys were, describing in great detail what she would have done had they been her own and then launched into how she had marched all the way to across town to confront poor Marsha, who, if Sally's memory served her correctly, was almost nine months pregnant with her fourth poor woman never stood a chance. Grace had given her one of her infamous speeches which included, but was not limited to, the proper care of young hooligans. Sally simply smiled and sipped her tea, praying that her impatience wasn't showing on her face. Grace would give her the information she needed and until then she had no choice but to sit there and pretend she was interested in every single word the older woman was sprouting. She briefly wondered if Grace would notice if she invested in a pair of earplugs but scratched the though immediately. Grace would notice, Grace always noticed.

"Well when I finally got her to agree to keep a closer eye on her brood I made my way towards the Winters' house. Robert's parents had arrived the night before you know, so I wanted to go introduce myself and see if Sarah needed any help. I know how difficult it is dealing with your in-laws after all. Why the last time Greg's parents had visited..." And she launched into a story about her own in-laws last visit, about how bossy Greg's mother was - somehow Sally couldn't blame the woman - and how quiet Greg's father was and how the two of them had annoying tried to worm themselves into their lives so that Grace could look after them in their old age. Naturally Grace had put her foot down and after weeks of arguing and desperately trying to get them to go, the two had finally let in a hurry, claiming that the air in Darkwood didn't agree with them. Somehow Sally was sure the only problem in the equation had been Grace. "How did they expect me to raise Elliot with them breathing down my necks?" Grace asked crossly.

Wait, who? "Elliot?" Sally asked suddenly curiously.

"My son. He's such a good boy, about you and Sarah's age I believe. He left a few years ago for Tortal. Not sure what he does, he's just as bad a correspondent as his father, but I know it has something to do with the army or something. He was always such a talented boy." Grace was silent for a minute, her thoughts far away. For the first time since Sally had met her she saw a hint of sadness cross the woman's eyes. She missed him, she realised, Grace missed her son. Maybe that was why she gave people like herself and Marsha such because she was jealous that her sons were all still so young and herself because she was her son's age.

"My goodness, I've gone off , as I reached the Winters' house I saw the most horrible sight. The door was almost completely smashed in and when I went inside I found Robert lying unconscious on the floor and Sarah by his side. Apparently a robber had tried to break into the house, not knowing Robert and Sarah were there, and had started a fight when he discovered them. But brave old Robert had taken the man on, I never knew he was so brave, I'm beginning to see him in a new light. But anyway, there was no sight of the robber, just Robert and Sarah and Robert's parents. All I can say is that I really hope Sarah's children doesn't get their grandmother's hair. Red as flames and she's a little shrimp of a person too. His father isn't too bad but also rather plain, definitely not where Robert got his looks but he must have a kind genetic line." Sally couldn't say anything to that comment so she simply nodded. Plus she hadn't met either of Robert's parents so she couldn't say whether Grace was lying or not. For all she knew they could be perfectly good people who Grace just took an instant disliking to. "His mother was a mouthy one too. Told me everything was fine and tried to shove me out the door. Naturally I was resistant, after all I didn't know where the robber was, for all I knew he could have been right outside the door waiting to kill the next person who passed and I for one am not ready to join the Black God just yet. I told them that too. But Sarah said Robert had taken care of it and that they needed to get him to a healer, so I went. And she was right, look there isn't a scratch on me. Robert must be some hero for taking care of a thief all by himself. And here I thought he was just some scruffy buffoon who wasn't even close to worthy of Sarah. She's such a kind girl you know. Always listening to what I'm telling her and never running in the other direction like some people." Sally looked down in shame. She was one of those people after all. Grace however didn't look too bothered. "So, isn't it exiting living in a village where such strange things happen?"

"Yes," Sally mind however was anything but there. So, Robert and Sarah were the ones they had been sent for. She'd been right all along. She had to tell Cain, because the two will be coming back and they would have to do their job better then. She stood up suddenly, drinking the last of her tea in one gulp as she did. "Grace, thank you so much for the tea and the story." She smiled in what she hoped was a kind manner. "I would have loved to stay longer but I'm a little worried about my husband. He's not so young anymore you see."

Grace remained seated. "I understand Sally. Go take care of him, dinner's in an hour anyway," she sounded calm and happy, clearly taking no offence at Sally having to leave. "Next time I'll tell you all about Gita's gardening problem.

"That'll be perfect," Sally said in a fake happy voice, mentally cringing at the thought.

* * *

It was barely evening but the snow covering every inch of ground made it as dark as midnight as Kel stared out the window. It had been a whole day since the attack, a day Kel had spent carefully in thought as Dom lay sleeping. She had taken the mission far too casually she had realised. Treated it like a joke instead of the important task it was. She'd focused on Dom instead of finding out the information they'd been sent to get. Slowly she had started pulling herself together, slowly transforming from the love sick fool she'd become back to Lady Keladry the warrior. The attack had come as far too much of a surprise to bring any comfort - a mistake that had nearly cost Dom his life. They would return to Darkwood in two days and this time things were going to go a little different. Oh she would still act like a blushing newly wed when she was near Dom - something that came entirely too easy because she did feel like one every time she was around him nowadays - but when she was alone she would make damn sure to meet every single person in that village so she could pin point the traitors. Maybe she would even attach herself to Grace to ensure she heard every single piece of gossip, even if the mere thought made her want to turn tail and run for the hills. She was going to make this work, she would do everything in her power to ensure Dom wasn't hurt again. Dom... it all went back to him every single time. When had she come to depend so much on this man? And more importantly, what would Neal think when he saw them. Neal had never been able to keep his opinions to himself and somehow she wasn't entirely so he'd been super pleased about the recent developments.

"You look far too worried," A voice whispered in her ear as a solid arm wrapped around her waist. Smiling slightly Kel leaned against Dom. She may have been lucky enough to find a man that was a bit taller than her, but he still wasn't tall enough to rest his chin on top of her head. Instead he rested it on her shoulder, gently rubbing his cheek against hers.

"I have reason to worry," Kel replied to his question in a quiet tone. "Things have taken quite a turn and I'm not happy with the direction they're taking. I don't appreciate being toyed with Dom,"

Dom's arm tightened slightly as he pulled her firmly against him and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "They'll realise their mistake soon enough Kel. The mission is far from over and they aren't even close to getting us down. All they did was give us a little more information on what we're facing. We'll be ready for round two."

"All they did," Kel corrected, "was nearly kill you. Are you sure you're willing to try again when you know what the repercussions could be?"

With a devilish grin Dom ducked his head to allow him to nuzzle the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. "Course I do." he whispered into her skin. "However it just so happens that the rewards outweigh the repercussions by quite a large margin," With one more soft kiss he lifted his lips to her ear. "I know what I'm getting into Kel, and it's definitely worth it. So stop trying to convince me otherwise." He spun her around to try and kiss her but Kel quickly stopped him by placing both hands on his chest and giving him a hard look to scold him.

"Nah uh, aren't you suppose to be in bed?"

Dom's mouth spread into a large grin. "I like the way you think dear wife,"

"That's not what I meant..." But Dom wasn't listening. With strong arms he, literally, swept her of her feet and dumped her onto the bed behind them before following her down and claiming her lips with his own.

"Dom," she protested putting up a, admittedly weak, battle. "You're suppose to be healing!"

"I can't think of a better way, can you?"

Kel couldn't see how this was going to help him heal in the least but that didn't stop her from enjoying the moment. In the end she guessed she was just so happy that this moment was possible after she'd been so sure she'd lost him. She was glad he hadn't been awake to see her moment of weakness and intended to stop a repeat performance by keeping him as safe as possible. She'd cried enough for one lifetime, thank you very much. Her ability to think started to vanish as Dom deepened the kiss. She couldn't help but remember the last time the two of them had been this close together and she felt herself blush. The thug had really chosen the worse moment ever to interrupt. She felt Dom's hands once more creep down her body and she let him. If he though he was healed enough then who was she to stop him? She wrapped her arms around his neck her attention locked on keeping up with his passionate kisses. She was just beginning to forget about everything but Dom's kiss when there was a sudden knock on the door.

"I'll give you two a minute then I'm coming in!" Alanna called from outside.

Dom groaned at her words and rolled off of Kel. "Our first mission has become clear to me: kill my mother."

Laughing, Kel leaned over to give him one last lingering kiss before scrambling off the bed. She laughed even harder when she heard his soft curse as she slipped open the door.

* * *

**As always your thoughts and comments will be much appreciated!**


	14. 14: The Chamber's Promise

**Dedicated to my beta, WarriorKnight. Thank you for getting me back on track and such a wonderful job polishing this chapter. You're the best and you know it!**

**The rest of the A/N is at the bottom. Please check it out!**

* * *

Chapter 14

The Chamber's Promise

The wind blew softly through her hair and tugged at her cloths as she slowly wandered through the crop field. She felt calm and happy, more at ease with herself and where she was than she had in ages. In the distance she saw New Hope, walls towering into the sky as her own flag waved in the breeze. Her face broke into a smile, one of surety, one of hope. This was her home, these were her people. She had expected to hate it when they had originally posted her here, sure the purpose was simply to keep her out of the fight. But the inhabitants of the camp had crept up on her, slowly and surely digging their way into her heart. She loved it more than she could ever care to admit. She loved the town and its people, felt like she was one of their own, like she belonged there. They treated her with respect not because of her title, but because they had fought alongside her in battle, had worked with her doing the most basic chores. They knew her as a person too.

Kel turned her face to the heat, enjoying the sunlight while it lasted. She missed it. She didn't despise the cold like Alanna did, but everyone needed a little bit of warmth every now and then. She closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth and her happiness.

"Having fun dear?"

She opened her eyes to find Dom watching her, his mouth curved in a content smile. He was dressed in his King's Own armor, his hair and clothes windswept and muddy, indicating he had just arrived in town.

She returned the smile. "Dom, what are you doing here?"

Still grinning he made his way towards her, stopping right in front of her before placing a gentle yet lingering kiss on her lips. "Do I need an excuse to come visit my wife?"

His words surprised her, distracting her for a second as he dropped to his haunches. His hands gripped the edge of her shirt, slipping it out where it was tucked into her pants and slid it over her belly. Kel gasped as she realized her stomach was no longer flat and fit. It was as round as a ball – and a rather huge one at that. She was heavily pregnant and the loving kiss Dom bestowed right above her belly button made it obvious whose child it was. She gazed down in wonder, her heart aching for something so unfamiliar. Dom spread his hands on the surface of the rounded skin, his smile growing wider as they both felt the tiny jolt of a baby's kick.

"He knows daddy's here," she whispered in awe.

Dom looked up sharply. "He?"

Kel nodded. "I don't know why but I'm sure it's a he. Maybe I've been spending too much time with the men."

"Not exactly something a husband wants to hear," Dom murmured playfully.

Kel held out a hand for him to take. It was like she had a script to follow, because even before her mind could take in the situation she already knew what she was going to do and say. She pulled him to his feet, tugging him at her so he could wrap his arms around her and she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Well this husband doesn't mind. He knows there's only one man for his Lady Knight."

His lips settled on her temple. "That he does, my dear."

She pulled back to smile up at him, her heart overflowing with what she was pretty sure was love.

But Dom was no longer smiling, instead he had turned a milky white, his eyes widening in panic. As she pulled back further she saw blood slowly starting to soak his clothes where he had been stabbed in Darkwood.

"Dom, Dom can you hear me?"

He fell to his knees, his breaths coming in a strangled gasp.

"Please, no Dom! No, you can't die! Please!" Her voice was strangled and panic ridden. She needed to get help, to get him to safety. He couldn't die, please Goddess don't let him die.

"You can't always get your way Lady Knight."

Her head shot up, her hands automatically reaching for where her sword was suppose to be. It wasn't there of course. Dom may have been clad in his armor, but she was dressed casually in working clothes. She grabbed Dom's sword from his side, swinging it into a defensive position with lightning fast precision born from years of practice.

He didn't seem to mind. He was casually sitting on a huge branch in a nearby tree, his body covered in a black cloak. She could just make out his chin and flashing white teeth under the hood. Whoever he was, he didn't match the appearance of a common thug.

"You're world will soon fall to pieces, Lady Knight Keladry." His voice was cool as ice. "And I will make sure he is the first to go. You have been warned, Protector of the Small."

His voice turned deep and dark at the last sentence. It was no longer his but the eerily familiar tone of the Chamber of Ordeal.

And just like that, everything vanished – the cloaked figure, Dom, New Hope, and the field. She was left there alone as the darkness closed in on her.

"No!"

She came awake with a start, her body covered in sweat. She clawed the covers off her body, desperate to get out of the darkness, desperate to clear the dream from her mind. But it remained, her mind persistently pushing for her to remember every last excruciating detail. She wrecked open the door, not caring that she was still dressed in her sleeping attire as she headed down the hall. Her feet automatically carried her to his door, her body knowing where she needed to be before her mind did. Carefully and silently she opened the door and peaked inside his room. He was sleeping like a baby, lying on his stomach with one arm draping off the bed and scraping the floor. He looked content and safe. Kel took a second to memorize this moment, knowing she would have to make a plan soon and having a sinking feeling that neither of them were going to like the outcome.

* * *

Alanna narrowed her eyes as she stared into the fire, her lips pursed dangerously as she glared at the young man mirroring her expression in its depths. The problem with spies, she was starting to realize, was that none of them ever chose to listen. She knew what she was doing, for goodness sake; how dare he question her orders? Okay, there was the small incident that had nearly cost them Dom's life, but he was okay now, wasn't he? And how the heck had she been supposed to know things were going to take such drastically weird turn? She wasn't a seer; she didn't know what the future held and never pretended that she did.

"Listen to me closely Colin: I'm not giving you an option and I didn't ask for your opinion. Get it done and do it fast. Time is of the essence and the longer you glare at me, the more time we're wasting." Her voice was stern and the tiniest bit of her temper could be heard in it.

Colin's frown deepened. "Oh, but you have the full right to do as you please?"

"I'm a knight, for goodness sake!" Okay, it was more than a tiny bit. "I think I've earned the right to make important decisions."

"Important? Alanna, this is just plain crazy. You're asking me to go fetch a man and ask him to just forget the fact that he's supposed to be on his honeymoon just because you couldn't resist playing matchmaker. He's not going to simply come running like your personal lapdog. Heck, if it was me, I'd have laughed outright at the suggestion."

Her eyes narrowed further. "Colin?"

He let out a sigh of frustration, knowing full well what was coming next. "Yes?"

"Shut up and do as you're told. I know what I'm doing."

"I sincerely hope so." His voice was a mutter loud enough for Alanna to hear. "Is there anyone else you'd like me to get for you while I'm at it? Your father, perhaps? Or a head doctor, I'm sure you'll find one very useful at this stage. Oh, wait, I know, how about King Jonathon? Don't you think he aught to be very interested in why most of his loyal followers are vanishing like snow in the summer?"

"You're spending too much time with George," she grumbled. She could see his reacting smirk and knew that despite his complaints he would do as she had asked him. "Just be careful, boy. This mission is taking an interesting turn and we'll need to be ready for whatever they can throw at us. If you have to threaten lover boy, feel free to do so. I'm sure you'll find something to use as bait. And for Mithros sake, make sure Jon doesn't get a whiff of this. I've had more of his lectures than I care to admit and another one doesn't sound all that enticing."

Colin just shook his head in amusement. "I'm on my way. Try and make it more than one day in Darkwood before all hell breaks loose this time."

Alanna's resulting grin was slightly evil. "I can't make any promises, kid."

* * *

The air was far more than chilly, the wind howling mercilessly as Kel crept outside. The dawn had not quite greeted the sky yet, leaving her enough time to squeeze in a training session. She needed to relax, badly, and this was one of the only ways she could think of. She didn't have her trusty glaive or even Griffin but she had been able to borrow a large sword from George's friend, the owner of the inn they were currently staying in.

Exhaling slowly, the air around her mouth transforming to white smoke, she lifted the sword until it was parallel to the ground. Slowly turn, slice, turn a little faster, slice, even faster, slice. Her movement steadily increased its pace as her swinging turned into a pattern dance. Her short time off hadn't affected Kel's ability in the least, but it did make it difficult to clear her mind. Every time she tried to clear her it, Dom would once more dominate her thoughts. His smiling face, his soft kisses, his bleeding on the ground. The sword cut down in a dangerous arc, forcing her attention back to the familiar pattern.

It couldn't go on like this. She had to stay in complete focus. This mission had just gone from difficult to hell and Kel knew she was powerless to change anything about it. As the dance sped up Kel's mind disobeyed her once more, showing her exactly the image she was trying so hard to avoid. She was standing in the fields of New Hope again. Dom was there with her, smiling as he kissed her, then her oversized belly. She felt the same instant joy when she saw the image again in her mind's eye. Then he was falling to the ground, the cloaked figure laughing at her as the voice swept through her again.

_You have been warned Protector of the Small._ A shudder ran through her.

She closed her eyes, pretending everything could be okay, if only for one second. She imagined her perfect little world in her mind. Here, she wasn't a knight devoted only to the kingdom she loved so much, but also a woman who was loved by a man. And he was just a man in her eyes, not a sergeant in the King's Own, sworn to his King and never allowed to marry.

Her eyes fluttered open, her hands now gripping the sword in mid-air. Her breath was coming only a little quicker from the exercise, but her mind was working a mile a minute. It was doomed; there was no way around it, no way to sugarcoat it. She was going to have to talk to Dom, tell him how futile this whole thing was and that they were simply going to have to accept it. She couldn't loose him. Telling him things were over would push him away but at least he would be alive. That would have to be enough for her. From now on, the mission was her main priority. She let the pain of the idea sweep through her, knowing that accepting the heart break now was better and safer. Because her heart did feel like it was breaking in two at her own accord. She was the one doing this to herself, the one accepting defeat before the war had even begun, but she wasn't a fool. She wasn't going to get the two of them killed. Hell, she'd already come close enough. The Chamber was rarely wrong and this time it was aiming at something she wound far too importantly into her life.

Swinging her arm, she rapidly pulled into a new pattern, willing the speed and exercise to rob her of all thoughts, of all the pain, of all the love she felt. Faster and faster she moved, ignoring her muscles as they began to tire, refusing to let any tears escape as she froze her face in her Yamani mask, working until the first streaks of light lit the sky.

* * *

Alanna and George were already deep in discussion as she entered the dinning hall for breakfast. She nodded her head in their direction, getting her food while she let them finish. She wasn't in a very talkative mood anyway, her talk with Dom after breakfast laying heavily on her mind. She filled her plate despite her stomach not wanting a single bite just to give her a reason not to talk. She had already taken her place at the table when Dom entered the room.

His gait was almost smooth, only a tiny hint escaping to reveal he had had some form of ordeal recently. He was smiling though, his normal cheery nature never staying down for long. He greeted the others with a smile and her with an added wink. Kel forced her attention to her food, fighting the wave of regret that was washing through her. She had to do this, she had to. It was for her own good, for **their **own good. If only she could convince herself of that. He sat down next to her, his leg coming to rest against hers just so he could form some kind of contact. Kel should have jerked away but she couldn't help but grant herself one more opportunity to enjoy the feel of him. After today all their touches would be simply to portray a role, and somehow she knew she wanted to die inside.

She felt her fist clench around her fork. No, she had to do this; she had to be strong, for both their sakes. Dom looked over at her, his smile wavering slightly in concern as he took in her posture. She forced herself to relax and smile at him. Here and now wasn't the right place to do anything. She would have to wait until they were alone.

"So Dom, how're you feeling today?" George's voice cut into her thoughts.

Dom moved his gaze from her to the couple now sitting opposite them. "Much better, thank you."

"The wound giving you any trouble?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. It's a little awkward to move at times, but it's not really pain, just a little discomfort. Considering the circumstances, I figure it's best not to complain too much." He grinned at the thought, a movement George mirrored. Kel on the other frowned harder. The reminder that he had already been injured was not something she needed at that moment.

"So you'll be okay with heading back tomorrow?"

The question jerked Kel awake. "Tomorrow?"

"Why delay the necessary?" Alanna said nonchalantly as she dug into her own breakfast.

"I guess." Kel forced herself to swallow. "I just thought we'd wait until Dom's ready to travel."

"He's ready Kel. The longer we stay here, the longer our enemies have to figure out we fooled them. We need to make our move and we need to do it fast. We're not going to let these bastards get the best of us."

Kel nodded. There was little else she could do. She'd hoped to have a few days to recover from her discussion with Dom before they were pushed together again but it seemed she wasn't going to be so lucky.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, each person with his own thoughts and plans to deal with. As Alanna and George excused themselves Kel grabbed Dom by the hand to stop him. She took a deep breath as he looked down expectedly. "Can I talk to you for a second? Somewhere private?"

He looked confused but nodded. "Sure Kel."

She got up slowly, dreading what was to come as she led him to the closest room, which just happened to be his bedroom. She swallowed, once more remembering how pale he'd been when he first laid there, how happy she'd been when he woke for the first time even thought he had fallen asleep instantly again. Just knowing he was alive had been enough by that stage. Then there were the passionate kisses they'd shared the previous evening – no, now wasn't the time to think about that. She had to be strong. Her expression must have betrayed her because he was suddenly cupping her cheek, his eyes filled with worry.

"Kel, what's wrong?"

She closed her eyes for a second, her courage seeming to seep from her body. "Dom… I – I can't…" she opened her eyes, looked straight into his blue depths and wished she could simply stand there and drown in them, "I can't do this," Her voice was a soft, almost broken, whisper.

Her words confused him. "Can't do what Kel?"

"I can't…" Deep breath. "I can't do this… us… I don't know what to call it."

He looked even more baffled. "Kel, you can't pull out of the mission now. Why didn't you tell Alanna that you have worries? If you want me to call her…"

"Dom, stop! Please, please just listen." Her lip quivered the tiniest bit as she saw the panic in his eyes. He knew what she meant, knew that she was stopping the romance between the two of them before it got too far but couldn't bring himself to accept it. She couldn't blame him. She didn't want things to end either. "What happened between us shouldn't have happened. There's no future for us, no way we can be together. You can't stop being a sergeant in the King's Own just as much as I can't stop being a knight." She had to stop, had to get this over with so she could get out of there. Her heart broke into a thousand pieces as a mixture of realization and horror crossed his crossed his face.

"Kel, no, you can't do that…"

"Dom there's no other way. We're kidding ourselves if we think there's any chance for us…"

"Why are you running, Kel? What are you scared of? Are you afraid I'll fall in love with you? Because I'm sorry sweetheart; it's too late for that. I've been loving you from afar for far too long to suddenly let you go just because you're too scared to give us a chance."

Oh Mithros how she wanted to grab him, kiss him like her life depended on it and never ever let him go.

"There **is** no us Dom. Don't you see, the second we get too close, something bad happens, and it'll just keep happening. I can't be distracted Dom. I can't allow what happened in Darkwood to happen again."

"So you think by pushing me away you're magically going to keep me safe. Kel, listen to yourself, listen to how utterly ridiculous you sound. You're really afraid of sticking around because you think I'll hurt you…"

"Don't you dare tell me what my own feelings are! I know my own emotions Dom, I don't need you to interpret them for me!"

"Admit it then, Kel. Admit you're scared as hell because you love me and have no idea how to deal with it."

"Did you maybe consider it's because I don't love you?" Oh Goddess, had she said that? Her eyes widened as she took in his shell-shocked expression. It was the biggest lie she had ever told but if that was what it took to convince him, then she had no choice. "I'll understand if you want to pull out of the mission." She turned to walk out of the room before her own emotions betrayed her.

She didn't even make it to the door before Dom had her pinned to the wall. There was a feral look in his eyes as he glared down at her. "Don't lie to me, Kel. You can't lie to me. Tell me you love me too."

"I don…" Before she could finish his mouth covered hers in a rough kiss. She fought against it – not him, a mere push could have gotten Dom to back off. It was his kiss that she fought against instead. The need to return his hungry kiss with equal passion and desire overwhelmed her senses until she couldn't think anymore, only respond.

His head only moved back a few inches. "Tell me you love me, Kel." His voice was still angry but now laced with a healthy dose of seduction.

"I don…" He kissed her again, still hard but also filled with passion and teasing. Without noticing, she was meeting him in equal measures in each department.

Back a few inches again. "Tell me you love me." Rough but sweet.

"I don…" She was fully aware she was meeting him in equal amounts of desperateness this time.

"Tell me you love me, Kel. Please." His voice, pure and utterly seductive, still held a desperate edge, a need for her not to reject him but confirm what he hoped with all his soul was true. His lips brushed against hers as he spoke, his fingers gently curling around her cheeks. As much as she knew this could never be, that they would never be allowed to be together, she couldn't deny him the truth. He deserved better than lies. She looked up into his blue eyes, eyes which were filled with love and hope and just the smallest drop of pleading.

She grabbed him by the front of the tunic and yanked him as close as she could, her lips finding his in a hungry kiss that spoke more than words ever could. But she needed words, both of them did. "Oh Mithros, Dom, I love you. I love you too darn much…" He cut her off again, his lips sure and firm, his body molding against hers as his movements became frantic. She felt it too, the need to be close to him, the need to be as close to him as she possibly could. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him even closer as their movements became a blur of lips, tongue and hands.

His hand shot out to the side, his fingers desperately running along the wall until they reached the lock of the door and smoothly slid it in place. The second he was sure no uninvited guests would interrupt them this time, he slowly drew Kel away from the wall. He herded her backwards towards the bed, his lips never leaving hers, his hands unable to leave the smoothness of her skin. They fell onto the mattress in a bit of a tumble but neither seemed to care too much. All they cared about was each other, showing the other just why separation couldn't be an option.

She couldn't do it, Kel realized as she threaded her fingers through his thick hair. She couldn't leave this man even if it was ultimately doomed. She had fought the chamber's predictions before and had proven him wrong. Why should this time be any different?

As his lips traveled to the base of her throat, Kel knew she could never love anyone as much as she did this sergeant. He had made her admit it and she could never deny the truth her words had held. She had said it – but he never had.

"Dom?" Her voice was hoarser than she expected. She swallowed hard while his lips left her neck so that he could look down at her. She had been afraid, almost embarrassed, to ask the question at first, but seeing the truth in his eyes gave her the strength to reach up with one hand to cradle his face and whisper, "Tell me you love me too."

His face broke into a wide grin, one filled with humor, seduction and love. An expression she had never seen before. She'd seen him flirt with countless ladies at court, always the rogue and the charmer, but never had she seen him like this. It was just for her. For the first time in her life Kel felt sure of herself, not just as a knight, but also as a woman.

Moving his head slightly to the side he placed a small kiss on her palm and whispered, "I love you, Kel." She thought he would lean down and reclaim her lips. Instead he followed the path down her arm, kissing her wrist, her elbow, her shoulder, her neck, her chin, the shell of her ear, her nose and eyelids before finally returning to her lips, each kiss followed by a small, "I love you."

She knew as the kiss turned passionate again that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Her heart had chosen for her and her brain hadn't even been given a vote. She could do this, she could fight for this. She now understood why her sisters had been so fond of romantic tales. She had always been more interested in stories of warriors and knight fighting to save their kingdom, but love, she was discovering, was just as worthy a cause.

She felt his fingers tugging at the buttons of her shirt and hastily reached down to stop him.

"Dom, no, you're still hurt."

"As long as you don't knee me in the stomach, I'll be fine, Kel. But if you're not ready…" he started to pull back but she brought him straight back down.

"I didn't say that. Just… warn me if I hurt you, okay?"

She couldn't stop the blush that crept across her cheeks as he chuckled and murmured. "Aren't I the one who should be saying that?"

"Don't push your luck, sergeant," she warned him playfully.

"But I enjoy pushing it so much, Lady Knight." Another soft kiss. "**My** Lady Knight." His hands returned to work, slowly sliding each button out of its perch. Kel on the other hand was practically tearing his shirt as she yanked at the buttons.

"Patience, my Lady Knight," He leaned forward to try and keep her calm with another deep kiss.

It only made matters worse. Lucky for her, it appeared to make matters worse for him as well because suddenly he seemed to share her overwhelming need. Clothes practically flew through the air, and suddenly Kel found herself naked as the day she had been born, her body pressed against an equally naked Dom. If anyone had told her even a week ago that this would happen, she would have laughed at them. There was no way such a generous, friendly, marvelous man like Dom could ever love her. Yet through some miracle he did, now ready to share in something she was sure would be one of the greatest experiences of her life. She had never been so glad that things hadn't gotten this far with Cleon, because now she could share it with someone who was truly worth the wait. She pulled him close, kissing him sweetly, delicately. He would be her first, and he would be her only.

She looked him in the eyes, her heart filled with love and trust. He returned the gaze with equal intensity before suddenly pausing and pulling back slightly. He eyed the area around them, winced slightly before he suddenly jumped down onto the cold floor.

"Dom?"

Before her eyes, he suddenly dropped to his knees, right there on the ice cold floor without a stitch of clothing on, and took her hand in his. "Kel, I know now is probably not the best time considering the mission, but I can't let this go. I've loved you for so long that it seems like it's now or never and I won't be able to live with myself if I don't try. I know I'm not the type of man you need. I don't have a fief, I don't have a title and I have very little money. In other words, I have almost nothing to offer you. All I can give you is love and promise that I'll find a way to support you. Maybe there's a fief in Tortall that needs warriors like Darkwood. I don't know, but I'll find something, I promise."

"Dom, what are you talking about?"

"Kel – no Lady Knight Keladry of Minderlan, I'm asking you for the honor of your hand in marriage."

Kel felt her eyes widening. "But Dom, you can't, the Own doesn't allow…"

"I'm going to quit the Own as soon as we finish here Kel."

"But you love being in the Own!"

"But I love you even more. You're all I need Kel, all I ever wanted. I'll find another job."

"I can't let you do that Dom,"

"And I can't live without you, Kel. Please." He looked up at her, his gaze firm, sure, so perfectly heartbreaking. "Please, will you marry me Kel?"

Her throat went dry, her palms beginning sweating, but when she looked him in the eye she knew there wasn't any other way. He wasn't going to let her get away, and she had absolutely no wish to get away either.

Her voice was whisper soft yet completely certain as she said, "Yes,"

He stayed on the floor for a few seconds in disbelief. "Yes?"

She nodded. "Yes," It was crazy, it could never happen, but she said it anyway because she wanted it more than anything else in her life – except for becoming a knight.

In less than a second, Dom was on the bed with her again, his lips desperate and searching, his hands everyone at once. She wasn't any better. She couldn't stop touching, couldn't let go even for a second. And when they joined in the most intimate act known to man she knew he was every bit hers just as she was his.

* * *

**Where do I even start? I've really taken my time with this chapter and I'm not blaming anyone if they have their torches and pitchforks ready for attack. I'm sorry. Between studies and writer's block I never though I'd get back into the groove, so here's to hoping.**

**Thank you all for actually staying and believing in this fic. I haven't given up on any of my fics and I will finish them all I promise. I've also realised the benefit and support a beta offers and would definitely recommend you get one if you're story is more than a handful of chapters. Believe me, they spot mistakes we think we're way too smart to make.**

**So once more, thank you to all who alerted, favorited and, of course, who reviewed: Stella Celeste Taylor, readingobsessed, stormwinglover, TheWackedOne, Kiki1forest, celiabobelia96, Books-Are-My-Only-Love, RealGirlsHaveCurves, somebody's sister, Mythical Words, Persona-Aya, Lexi 'The Viper' Salvatore, raineorshine, theoriginalmeathead, Lady Light, Padfootkicksbutt, Elisel32, roseflorintine, Neko Tiger, beary, MelaineMae, maka loves chocolateee, WarriorKnight, RoyalLady9099 and fire dragonheart.**

**So, thoughts, comments, threats to pull out my toenails one by one if I ever take this long to update again? =P  
**


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